Winter Serenade
by WinglessDreams
Summary: OCHiroshi Kazane had a bright future...100 years ago. Now she's a shinigami living in the human world, hiding from Soul Society. Follow her on her path to protect her loved ones...and to seek revenge for her and her...
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic here so I hope you enjoy it! Please review! Flames are welcomed!**_

_100 years ago…_

'_Hiroshi Kazane, for alleged participation in the Hollowfication experiment, the Central court hereby dismisses you!' an old man roared out to the girl standing in front of them._

_The girl was tall and slender-the body of one that worked out intensively- and had silver-blond hair that was tied up in a high pony tail. She had aristocratic features and held herself with dignity and grace. Her expression clearly said: I don't friggin' care, you old man._

_Hiroshi Kazane, from the 12__th__ division, was dismissed that day._

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'_Kazane-san, please wait!' someone called from behind her._

_Kazane stopped in her tracks –ones that were about to leave Seireitei- and turned around slowly. Her eyes narrowed when she saw who it was._

'_Kazane-san, I'm so sorry about your dismissal. You had such talent. It's such a waste, you leaving Gotei 13,' Aizen Sousuke said in an apologetic tone. 'Kazane-san? Is something wrong?'_

_Kazane drew a deep breath and said calmly,' Thank you for your concern, Aizen-san. I appreciate you coming over to…send me off.' _

'_Oh? Is that all? I know you have a lot on your mind. It's not nice to keep it all bottled up, Kazane-san,' Aizen smiled at her._

_Kazane hissed,' you and I both know who did that Hollowfication that night, Aizen Sousuke. I swear I will have my revenge, for Urahara-taicho and myself. Oh, and who said I had talent? I clearly still have it.' _

'_Yes, you certainly are very talented. It's a pity. If you had chosen to join me, your end might have been different. Much different,' Aizen pushed his glasses up his nose. 'Hirako Kazane-hime.' _

'_Wha-' she was cut short by Aizen plunging an arm through her stomach. She choked back a gasp and gripped her hands tightly. 'Aizen you bastard…'_

'_It truly was a pity, Kazane-hime. Had you been wiser, things might not end like this,' Aizen said as he pulled his arm out. Kazane staggered a few steps before falling to her knees. 'What can I say? Like brother like sister.' _

'_You… How did you find out?' Kazane said through gritted teeth._

'_That is of no importance. Very soon, you shall become a part hollow, just like your brother and all the other foolish captains and vice-captains. Enjoy your last moments, Kazane-hime.' Aizen smiled a sick smile._

'_They'll suspect you. You won't get away.'_

'_Actually, they won', because to others, I'm currently in my room, doing paperwork while mourning for my unfortunate captain. Some are not as observant as you, Hime-chan, to find out my zanpakto's true ability,' Aizen said, that sick smile still plastered on his face._

_She felt the virus in her spread through her body. There wasn't any more time left. Let her final plan be executed._

'_Open…Gate…' her right arm glowed red. A portal to the human world opened under her. She smirked when she saw Aizen's shocked face. She whispered,' I'm not the only deceiving character in this world, Aizen. I hope you noticed that.'_

_A second later, the portal swallowed her up._

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_A blood splattered girl stumbled through the streets, trying to locate the oh-too-familiar presence of her former captain._

'_Damn you, Urahara-taicho. Release some of your friggin' reiatsu for god's sake!' Kazane cursed under her breath. Her eyes darted around, taking note of the dark shadow cast on her. 'Oh shit.'_

_The hollow launched at her, swiping across her back. She could feel its sharp claws slash through her flesh, drawing blood. But after that attack, nothing else was felt from the hollow. She looked up and saw a grinning man holding a cane in his hands._

'_Oh, it seems like my favourite squad member has decided to visit. You don't look in the condition to visit me though…'_

'_Damn you Urahara-taicho. Just help me already!'_

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Present time…

'Ichi-nii, where's Kaza-nee?' Yuzu asked. 'It's her turn to make breakfast.'

'I'm home!' Kazane called as she came in. 'I bought breakfast.'

'Kaza-nee only knows how to buy. She can't make,' Karin said mischievously. 'Am I right, Kaza-nee?'

'As much as I hate to say this, yes, you're dead right,' Kazane said in a deadpan voice.

'My darling Kazane, I know you have a steady income through you piano performance and you can afford buying meals for us but can't you try cooking for a change?' Isshin said, scratching his head.

'Have you ever seen me cook?'

'Umm…no?'

'Good, I hope it stays that way,' Kazane said simply. She began unloading food from her carrier bags.

'Otou-san, Kaza-nee is disastrous when it comes to cooking!' Yuzu said, horrified.

'Yet you said that it was her turn to make breakfast. Anyone who had common sense would try to keep her away from the kitchen,' Ichigo said as he sat down. 'I still remember her first Home Economics class. She practically destroyed the entire kitchen. The teachers promise to give her an A for it if she never sets foot into the school kitchen again.' Ichigo shuddered.

'And what's wrong with the food I buy? I don't poison them you know. There won't be any left after I done so,' Kazane said innocently.

The entire Kurosaki family laughed.

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**Remember: Review! Just typing a few words won't do you any harm right? The more reviews I get, the faster I'll write! ( Actually…I type quite slowly…) Hurry hurry!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! I managed to churn out another chapter today! I hope you enjoy it! Read and Review! Flames are welcomed!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Present time… After school…

'Urahara-san… What did you call me here for?' Kazane said irritably. 'I have work to do you know?'

'Just a minute, Kaza-chan. Ah, here it is!' Urahara pulled out a bracelet. Kazane looked at it, disgusted.

'What the hell is that? Your fashion sense is horrible!' Kazane stepped away from the bracelet. It was pink with red and white hearts around it. 'That doesn't suit my character!'

'Aww… Come on, Kaza-chan. It'll look great on you. Besides, we need to take precautions. There's a shinigami in town today and imagine what would happen if they found out what you are,' Urahara pouted. He shoved the bracelet in her hand. 'This conceals your reiatsu. Wear it t all times. Well… At least until the shinigami is gone.'

'Eww! No way! That totally clashes with my character. I'm a rebellious teen, Urahara-san!' Kazane pushed the bracelet back.

'A rebellious teen that plays wonderful piano for a living?'

'You got a point. But pink, red and white? I'd rather risk getting caught than wear it,' Kazane pulled a face. 'But the idea of becoming Mayuri-san's… experiment doesn't sound too good as well.'

Urahara flinched slightly. 'I trust Mayuri very much, Kazane. I'm sure he won't do such things to a former colleague.'

'I won't put my hopes on that,' Kazane spat.

Urahara sighed. 'Then what about this? You wear this and I'll tell you the name of the shinigami in town. I think you'll be interested in her.'

'Oh?'

'Believe me. The shinigami in town is called Kuchiki Rukia.'

Kazane's eyes widened in shock. 'No way!'

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_Flashback…_

'_Kazane-san, please greet the young master of the Kuchiki clan,' Kazane's mother, Ryoko, said sternly. 'He is your fiancée.'_

_Kazane turned to Kuchiki Byakuya and bowed deeply. 'It's an honor to meet you, Kuchiki-dono. I'm Hirako Kazane from the Hirako clan.'_

_Kuchiki Byakuya surveyed her. He turned to his mother and said, 'Okaa-sama, may I bring Kazane-dono to the garden while you talk?'_

_He was immediately granted permission. Kazane eyed him warily as he took her to the Kuchiki mansion's garden._

'_So… You're my future wife?' Byakuya asked her once they were alone._

'_Yes, if the heads of our clans agree on it,' Kazane replied disinterestedly. 'It's such a pain, these arranged marriages.'_

_Byakuya said nothing. He looked into the distance and concentrated on tracing her reiatsu._

'_You shouldn't do that you know, probing into other's core,' Kazane said softly. Byakuya turned to her in shock. She continued on, 'If you wanted to see my abilities, you could have asked.'_

'_You are training to become a shinigami?' Byakuya said, surprised. 'But you're a female!'_

'_Oh great, my future husband is a sexist,' Kazane rolled her eyes. 'What's wrong with female nobles becoming shinigami? Shihoin Yoruichi is a shinigami as well.'_

'_You know the Demon-Cat?'_

'_Yeah, it was Shihoin-dono that requested me to become a shinigami. I don't really want to become one, actually. I prefer to become a musician. But my mother is bent on making the Hirako clan more powerful and well known so I became a victim in her crazy quest,' Kazane walked toward the pond. She scooped up a handful of water and blew on it. The water instantly became ice._

'_What did you do?' Byakuya gasped._

'_My zanpakto's ability is ice-based so controlling water is like second nature to me,' Kazane blew on the block of ice and it turned back to water. She pulled her hand away and to his surprised, the water remained in mid-air. She turned to him, sensing his doubt and said, 'It's not an illusion. Would you like to touch it?'_

_Byakuya reached towards the blog of water in mid-air and touched it. His fingertips felt the cold liquid and he quickly pulled away._

'_Having any doubts now?' Kazane waved her hand and the blob of water splashed back into the pond. Byakuya shook his head wildly._

'_When are you taking the entrance exam?'_

'_Next year. I think I got the basics mastered.' Kazane returned to her uninterested self. 'What about you?'_

_Byakuya shook his head. 'This is so…screwed. I'm the heir to the Kuchiki clan and yet I can't even find my zanpakto. Yet you, who descended from a line of people who probably never touched a sword in their lives, found it already! You're younger than me by a considerable amount too!' Byakuya hung his head. 'What would Grandfather say…?'_

'_I think he would say you need more patience. Zanpaktos need time to see if you're worthy enough to be their master before they consider revealing themselves,' Kazane said wisely. Byakuya glanced at her and her mischievous eyes gave away instantly._

_He grumbled, 'Great advice from someone who is laughing at me from inside.'_

_Kazane giggled, 'It's not me. Haruka's been making a lot of silly jokes about you. They're hilarious. You probably don't want to hear them.'_

'_Haruka?'_

'_My zanpakto's given name. I choose it when Haruka was refusing to give me her real name. I really shocked her,' Kazane started laughing softly._

'_And after that?'_

'_She told me her real name of course. But I didn't stop calling her Haruka. It got her so mad!' Kazane laughed more loudly. She paused, looking at him. 'Of course, if you want to know, you'll have to pay for it.'_

'_Pay?'_

'_Yeah, tell me a bit more of yourself. So far, I've been the only one talking.'_

'_Umm…' Byakuya looked uneasy._

_Kazane sighed, 'Ok… do you have siblings?'_

'_No I'm the only child.'_

'_What do you like to eat?'_

'_Spicy stuff?'_

'_Oh, interesting. Do you have any friends?'_

'_Friends…?'_

'…_You don't have any friends?'_

'_Define the term friends.'_

'…_You really don't have any, do you?'_

'_Well… I guess not. Grandfather says it's my rash personality that makes me unlikable.' _

'…_He's right…'_

'…'

'_KAZANE-DONO, BYAKUYA-DONO, YOUR MOTHERS ARE CALLING FOR YOU!'_

'_Ahh…It seems like our time's up. I look forward to our next meeting,' Kazane bowed deeply._

'_Yes, so do I,' Byakuya walked to the main block of the mansion. 'And Kazane-dono?' _

'_Yes?'_

'_Call me Byakuya.'_

_End of flashback…_

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Present time…

'…Kuchiki Rukia is Byakuya's wife?' Kazane said with a surprised and shocked look on her face.

'No…She's her sister.'

'Kuchiki Byakuya doesn't have a sister. He's the only child!'

'Biologically, yes.'

'What are you implying?' Kazane's voice became dangerously low.

'Kuchiki Byakuya adopted her. She's around the same age as you.'

'WTF?'

'Now, Kaza-chan, mind you language!' Urahara said in a sing-song voice.

**Thank you for reading! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! Another chapter churned out today! It's slightly longer this time. I hope I can write longer chapters in the future. Read and Enjoy!**

In a restaurant…Somewhere in Karakura Town…

'Kurosaki-san, you're here! I was waiting for you,' the sweaty head manager of the restaurant said in a hurry. 'The customers are requesting for you! Why did you come so late?'

Kazane's eyebrow twitched. She hurriedly thought of an excuse, 'Umm… there was a pregnant lady on the street and I had to help her get to the hospital because she was in labor.'

'_Nice one, Kazane. Helping a poor pregnant lady in labor, the all-time classical excuse,' Haruka snorted._

'_Shut up, Haruka, I'm trying to come up with a convincing excuse.'_

The manager eyed her warily, 'Oh, okay then. Hurry or the customers will leave. They waited the whole week to hear your piano. Say…' He spotted the pink bracelet on her wrist. 'Is that a _pink_ bracelet? Are you actually wearing a _pink_ bracelet with_ red and white hearts_?'

Kazane's eyebrow twitched even more. 'Yes, your eyesight is not failing you. It is a pink bracelet with hearts. The pregnant lady gave it to me as a token of gratitude. I'm just wearing it because I don't want to hurt her feelings.'

'_Cool, another related lie right off the bat.'_

'_Shut up or I'll make your winter wonderland a desert.'_

'_Okay okay, keep your temperature down. I'll remain silent… until your job is finished. I nearly sweated to death when you got so angry with Urahara.'_

Kazane got to the piano and opened it. She asked the audience, 'I'll play jazz tonight. Is that fine with you?'

'YES!!!!!'

'_Sounds like a market more than a high-class restaurant. Look, some of the boys are drooling. Eww, disgusting.'_

'_.Ka.'_

'_Whoops.'_

Kazane played jazz. The same song she heard in Seireitei, 5th division captain's room. Soon, the room was submerged in a dreamy and relaxing stupor. Unknown to the audience and the staff, Kazane was actually weaving a Kido net in the song. The net was supposed to protect the restaurant from Hollow attacks.

Suddenly, a strong presence of a Hollow was felt.

'_Haruka.'_

'_Yeah, I'm tracking it right now. Hold on for a sec and keep playing!'_

There was silence for a while. Kazane played distractedly, her mind busy trying to locate the Hollow's location.

'_I found it. The Hollow is currently at Kurosaki Clinic!'_

Kazane nearly stumbled over a note. _'What? Where Isshin-san and his family is?'_

'_The very clinic,' Haruka paused for a while. 'Don't you stop playing the piano, Kazane. If you stop now, the Kido net will be broken. More Hollows will be attracted to this restaurant by your reiatsu. Besides, the shinigami will probably deal with it. There's no cause for worry.'_

'_No cause for worry my foot. Ichigo's crazy reiatsu will probably cloud her senses. She won't be able to detect the hollow. I'm not risking my foster family.'_ Kazane was drawing to the end of the piece.

'_Stay where you are, Kazane. If the worst's comes to the worst, Urahara or Isshin will probably finish it off. Besides, it's a good time to test the female Kuchiki's skills. You are interested, aren't you? About the Kuchiki girl. If Byakuya chose her, then I suppose she is strong. It is unlike Byakuya to choose someone that is incompetent.'_

'_I want to see her abilities, but not in this situation. Should she fail, I'll not only lose the connection to my ex-fiancée, I'll also lose my family. I'm not placing my trust in someone I never met!' _Kazane finished the song slightly more aggressively than intended.

'ENCORE! ENCORE!'

'_Whew, looks like I won't have to stop you. You're working overtime today.'_

'_I am not happy, Haruka. Keep your mouth sealed before I melt all the snow in there.'_

There was another presence this time. Stronger and like…

'_A Shinigami. Looks like reinforcements have arrived.'_

There was a sick feeling in her gut. She increased the tempo by a notch, hoping to get back to the Kurosaki Clinic as fast as possible. _'That's not reinforcements, Haruka. That's Ichigo. The idiotic Kuchiki Rukia turned him into a shinigami.'_

'_Uh oh… She landed herself in the wrath of Kurosaki Kazane and Soul Society.'_

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Kurosaki Clinic…

Kazane examined the damage. 'Wow, damage like this is definitely going to be hard to cover. I wonder what story is the Memory Modificator gonna cook up.' Kazane walked into the house, seeing Kurosaki Isshin sprawled over the table.

'_Uh oh… Kazane's gonna blow.'_

Kazane picked up a broken chair leg and whacked the back of Isshin's head with it.

'OWWWWW! Kaza-chan, you didn't have to do that. I was perfectly awake!'

'I obviously have to do it more often. What the hell happened here, Isshin?' Kazane folded her arms, hand still gripping the chair leg. She was giving out a chilling aura.

'_That's the way, Hime-chan. Go cold instead of hot. You get answers better that way.'_

'_Haruka.' _There was a warning tone in her voice.

'_Okay, I'll shut up. No need to get your head over it.'_

'Isshin-san, what happened here? Why did Ichigo become a shinigami?' Kazane said coldly. 'Why was a Hollow able to break past the barrier me and Urahara-san set up? Did you temper with it?'

Isshin pouted, 'Aww, Kaza-can, you can't expect me to remember what happened when they used a Memory Modificator on me.'

Kazane lost her cool. 'WTF? Don't try to avoid the question. You and I know very well that only A Class Memory Modificators can modify the memory of a shinigami.' Kazane rubbed her finger on the table and showed him the coarse white powder on her finger. 'This is obviously a Memory Modificator of the lowest class. There's no way you could forget!'

He flinched. 'Ok, you got me there. I tampered with the barrier a bit so that I could learn how to do it. Then I accidentally broke it 'cus I was horrible at Kido and stuff and the Hollow came in. Its target was Ichigo, of course. But Yusuf and Karin got in its way and they got beaten up quite badly.'

Kazane drew in a sharp breath. 'What happened to them? What did you do?'

'Nothing of course. The female shinigami was just upstairs with Ichigo. Oh, and don't worry. Urahara-san patched them up quite nicely. They're currently asleep upstairs. They remember nothing of the incident,' Isshin said with a smile.

She didn't buy that smile. 'What happened next? Why did Ichigo become a shinigami?'

'Oh that? Ichigo got kinda angry and tried to take on the Hollow. No match, obviously. The shinigami got injured trying to protect him. So they stabbed the shinigami's sword through Ichigo and poof! There comes shinigami Ichigo with his big sword!'

Kazane breathed deeply, trying to stop herself from shaking. 'And the shinigami? What happened to her? Did she go back to…'

'No. Ichigo took all her Shinigami powers so she's in a pinch. Urahara sold her a gigai.'

Kazane finally calmed down. She dropped the chair leg on the floor and covered her eyes with her hands. Even if he didn't see her tears, he could tell that she was crying.

'I nearly lost my family again… I'm so hopeless…' Kazane dropped to her knees and sobbed. Isshin hesitated before patting her head silently.

Outside the house, a blond man in a green-striped hat and wooden clogs listened to their conversation quietly.

**How was it? Please review and give me your comments. A single review will really brighten up my day.**


	4. Chapter 4 Edited

**I'm sorry, everyone! I accidentally posted this chapter without finishing it! As a gesture of apology, I added something extra at the bottom. I hope you like it!**

Present Time… Karakura High School…

'Good morning everyone…' Kazane said sleepily as she walked thought the door. She expertly dodged a grope from Chizuru and made her way to her seat.

'Kazane-chan, are you alright? I heard a truck… ummm…' Orihime tried to find the right words.

'We're alright, no one got hurt. But the clinic now has a large hole in the wall,' Kazane placed her head down and closed her eyes.

'What's the matter, Kazane-chan? Did you wake up from the noise?' Tatsuki looked at the wiped-out blond girl.

'No, the accident happened after I came back from work. I couldn't sleep because I was too angry at someone,' Kazane grimaced when she remembered the previous night's scene.

_Flashback…_

_In Urahara Shoten…_

'_What. Did. You. Do. Urahara. Kisuke?' Kazane growled menacingly._

'_Umm… I asked Kuchiki Rukia if she wanted a gigai and I gave her one?' Urahara said nervously. He saw the glare Kazane shot and gulped. 'Ok, it wasn't a normal gigai. I gave her a special gigai made from your designs. The one that drains your spiritual energy and turns you into a human. And, uh, I placed the Hougyoku inside the gigai.'_

'_WHAT? Urahara Kisuke, Kuchiki Rukia is still an active member of the Gotei 13. She won't be able to go back to Soul Society if she stays in that gigai for too long! What were you thinking?'_

'_Listen Kaza-chan-'_

'_No, _you_ listen. Once they discover that Kuchiki Rukia is not reporting on time or she fails to go back to that place when her mission is over, Karakura Town will be swarming with shinigami. Plus that man is still in Seireitei! If he caught wind that Kuchiki Rukia has the Hougyoku-no, maybe he already anticipated this-, you know what the consequences are. Also, you risk revealing _my _location. I'm supposed to be missing from Soul Society. I'm presumed to be dead. If they find me in the Human World, worse, the find out that I'm part Hollow, we'll both be in deep shit. You aren't exactly free from Soul Society either. Your decision has put all of us in risk!' Kazane spat out angrily._

'_Kazane, don't worry. Everything will work out. What's the worst thing that can happen?' Urahara opened his fan and fanned himself._

'_Oh, I don't know. Maybe Aizen executes Kuchiki Rukia and took out the Hougyoku? Then he goes to Hueco Mundo to build an army of Arrancar and Hollow? Then maybe he sends out those Arrancar and destroys Soul Society?' Kazane said sarcastically. 'Have you thought of the possibilities?'_

_Urahara pulled his hat down. 'We won't know until he makes that action.'_

'_So you're planning to let everything proceed to the worst possible scenario?'_

'_The Worst Scenario has a brother, Kazane. His name is The Best Solution,' Urahara smiled when he made the gag._

_Kazane didn't laugh. 'You are a terrible person, Urahara.' _

_Kazane walked away and didn't look back._

_End of flashback…_

'Hey Kazane, come and see the new student,' Orihime called her.

'_A transfer student at this time of the year?'_

'Hello, I'm Kuchiki Rukia. Pleased to meet you,' Rukia held out a hand.

Kazane looked at her, appalled. She took the hand and introduced herself, 'Hi, I'm Kurosaki Kazane, Ichigo's foster sister. Nice to meet you…?'

'_You look shocked, Kazane. Something wrong?' Haruka said tauntingly._

'_That's it. This confirms it. This girl is just some girl picked up from Rukongai. Even a baby knows the basic etiquette better than her,' Kazane groaned on the inside. 'I can't believe Byakuya actually picked up some girl from the streets to be part of the _noble _and_ reputable_ Kuchiki Clan.'_

'_C'mon, Kazane. Everyone has their first times. Watch out, the teacher's coming.'_

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'I haven't accepted any commitment. If things get bad I might run away since I'm not a good enough person to sacrifice my life for total strangers,' Ichigo said, pointing to Rukia. 'Unfortunately, I'm not trash that can live happily without paying his debts. So I'm gonna help you do this Shinigami thing of yours.'

Rukia smiled, 'Yeah…Thanks…'

On a tree nearby, Kazane sat on the branch listening to the entire 'episode'. She smiled, 'Being a shinigami is anything but pleasant. Seeing people you cannot save die… seeing your own comrades die… Nothing is more painful than being a shinigami. But you're interesting…Ichigo. Much unlike other shinigami. So I think I'll watch over you and your unfortunate friend for a while…' Kazane turned her gaze towards Rukia and sighed. 'At least you are better at being a shinigami than a noble. Your eyes tell me that you went through something undesirable… Beware; you can't evade Soul Society for long. Soon, you'll realise something is wrong and by then it will be too late. Let's just hope that you stay in that gigai long enough to bury the Hougyoku.'

Kazane jumped off the branch and made her way back to school.

'Ichigo, you'll soon face the obstacles that appeared when you made your decision to protect your family. But never mind that. Enjoy your double life while you can…'

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Sometime later…

'Urahara-san, why am I accompanying you to an exorcist show that probably isn't real…' Kazane said irritatedly. She winced when the crowd around her went "Bohahahaha!"

'It's a job, Kaza-chan. You take care of the kids and I'll make you something special,' Urahara said, fanning himself with a fan. 'It's gonna be so much fun! Bohahahaha!'

Kazane's string of patience and sanity snapped. 'I must be down with something… How did I come here with Urahara-san without suspecting that I'll have to do something…? Urahara-san is imitating Don Kanonji… He too must have descended to the pits of insanity… Maybe some virus infected everyone. Now we're all insane…'

'She's crazy,' Jinta said to Ururu

'She's insane,' Ururu said to Tessai.

'She's a psycho,' Tessai noted to Urahara.

'You're currently stuck in the pits of insanity,' Urahara said to Kazane.

'That's it. I'm leaving.' Kazane walked off.

'No you don't. We've got a show to watch. You'll see the influence Ichigo made on his friends,' Urahara held her back with her collar.

'I thought we were here for the show?' Kazane raised her eyebrows.

'That and the show,' Urahara said, grinning.

'As if I want to watch someone stick a hole into a Demi-Hollow's chest and turn them into a Hollow,' Kazane mumbled under her breathe.

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'What? They can hear the Hollow too?' Kazane looked around and saw a few of her classmates reacting to the screech made by the Demi-Hollow.

'Those few originally had an abnormal amount of spiritual energy. Being with the now shinigami Kurosaki increased their ability to sense spirits and Hollows,' Urahara said behind his fan.

'And why are you telling me this?'Kazane's eyes narrowed.

'Because they may have special abilities!' Urahara smiled. Kazane threw a punch at him.

The screech drew louder and Kazane shivered. She looked at the exorcist and gasped. 'What the hell is that exorcist doing? He's endangering the entire audience!'

'That's why we're here!' Urahara said. He pushed his way through the audience, motioning for them to follow. Kazane complied confusedly.

'I hope we're not gonna stop them, Urahara-san. You know it's against our policy to help with this sort of stuff,' Kazane said quietly.

'The one we're gonna help is not the Hollow. Look, he's making an appearance!' Urahara pointed to a certain orange-haired boy.

'Ichigo…' Kazane groaned. She took Jinta and Ururu by the hand and walked behind Urahara and Tessai, making up an excuse to why she was with the unusual group.

'ICHIGO!' Rukia shouted at him.

'I KNOW DAMMIT!' Ichigo yelled in return.

PUSH!

Urahara pushed the shinigami out of his body with the cane/sword.

'Hello!' Urahara opened his fan and said.

'Urahara!'

'Hat and Clogs Guy? And-' Ichigo gasped. 'Kazane?'

'Yo, Ichigo, Rukia-chan!' Kazane smiled and waved. Ururu and Jinta clutched her clothes, trying to put on an n innocent expression.

'Look, don't space out. You're in a hurry, Kurosaki,' Urahara reminded gently.

'Oh yeah!' And he took off in a hurry.'

'Why are you here, Urahara? Are you scheming something?' Rukia asked suspiciously.

'Nope! I'm not scheming anything at all!' Urahara babbled on with his weak excuse.

Rukia ignored him and turned to Kazane. 'Kazane-san, what are you doing with him? Do you know-'

'I'm here on work, Rukia-chan. See, I was walking home yesterday trying to get some work so that I can skip out on joining the family today. It turns out that Urahara-san wanted someone to babysit these two while we are at the show so I took the job!' Kazane lied smoothly.

Someone patted Urahara on the shoulder, 'Excuse me, are you familiar with these two?'

'Uh, no actually.'

'Let's go have a talk over there-'

POOF! Urahara used a Memory Modificator on the guards.

'You MORON! You use Soul Society tools so easily!' Rukia yelled

'I just didn't want to get involved in your trouble!'

'You're the one who stuck your nose in my business!'

BOOM!

The group turned their heads toward the commotion. The Demi-Hollow was screeching in pain before it disappeared.

'YESS!' Don Kanonji yelled. 'Mission Complete!'

'No, it's far from over,' Kazane said softly so that Rukia could hear her.

'What?' Rukia turned to the girl in shock.

'The Hollow is rematerialising in another place,' Kazane said. She pointed a finger to the sky. 'Look, it's starting to appear already.'

'How did you… You can see?' Rukia said in shock.

'Ne, shouldn't you inform Ichigo first? He's gonna have to destroy it before the audience gets hurt,' Kazane said quietly. She turned around and walked to Urahara. 'C'mon, Ururu, Jinta.'

Rukia watched her retreating figure before shouting, 'Ichigo, above you!'

Urahara watched Kazane approach him. 'Is it alright to let her know that you can see Ichigo?'

'Most of the Kurosaki family can see spirits so I should be able to pass this off,' Kazane sighed.

Urahara returned his gaze to the clearing where Ichigo and the exorcist was bickering. 'Just as I thought… wonderful… and yet, terrible… Well, what should be done then?'

'Keep your thoughts to yourself, Urahara-san. It's creeping me out!' Kazane shivered.

'Sorry! I can't help it!' Urahara grinned widely. Kazane sweat dropped at the sudden change in mood.

They watched as Ichigo dragged Don Kanonji into the building. Kazane looked around and saw Orihime and Karin looking at Ichigo intently.

'The way Ichigo fights is due to his desire to protect. It's a strong yet weak kind of fighting. You'll have to help him overcome that weakness, Urahara-san,' Kazane sighed.

'Indeed…' Urahara said gravely. He suddenly grinned. 'Looks like our work here is done, Kaza-chan. Let's go!'

Kazane sweat dropped. 'Your mood changes really freaks me out, Urahara-san…'

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Next Day at school…

Rukia approached Kazane nervously.

'What is it, Rukia-chan? I'm doing homework now,' Kazane said without looking up.

'Ano, about yesterday… You said you could see ghosts, right? But how did you know Ichigo was a shinigami?' Rukia played with her thumb.

'Easy, I saw him,' Kazane replied simply.

'You mean… The parakeet incident?'

'Yep.'

'And the Jumping Pervertic Ichigo incident?'

'Yep.'

'And the Big Fisher incident?'

'Big Fisher? I suppose you're talking about the anniversary day… Yep, that too.'

'And all the other hollows in between?'

'I guess. I study, unlike Ichigo and you,' Kazane said boredly.

'… How much do you know?'

'More than Ichigo.'

'_Nice, you didn't state how much more! Kekeke!' Haruka laughed._

'_Shut up…'_

'Oh, okay…' Rukia stopped playing with her thumb. 'Then can you keep this a secret?'

'Keep what a secret?' Kazane looked up, finally interested.

'About Ichigo and I, what we're really doing out there.'

'I won't snitch unless I have a strong desire to stay in a loony ward for the rest of my life, Rukia-chan,' Kazane said lightly. 'Proving what others cannot see is a hard thing to do, that's why I keep

secrets to myself.'

'Promise?'

'Promise.'

'… Uh, well, thanks, Kazane…'

'No prob.'

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**Onmake…**

'Rukia-chan?'

'Yes?'

'Now that I told you my secret, can you tell me some of yours?' Kazane's eyes glinted mischievously.

Rukia gulped. 'Okay, sure.'

'Let's see… Do you have any siblings?'

'Yes, an older brother named Byakuya.'

'_JACKPOT!' Haruka laughed inside._

'Oh, what's he like?' Kazane leaned forward.

'Umm, cool and stoic? And really strict?' Rukia said nervously. 'And really strong?'

'What, your brother has six-pack muscles?' Kazane said teasingly.

'I think so.'

'_Muahaha! Byakuya with six-pack muscles! I gotta see that!'_

'_You're thinking of dirty thoughts, Haruka,' Kazane laughed._

'_I'm a girl. I have a right to ogle over men.'_

'_Yeah right.'_

Kazane strained to prevent herself from laughing. 'Okay. So, then, what do you like the most?'

'Chappy the bunny!' Rukia said instantly.

'_Chappy the bunny? That mascot is still popular?'_

'_It's cute, Kazane-chan.'_

"Oh, I see. So you like it so much that all you can draw is bunnies?' Kazane grinned.

'They're a work of art!' Rukia said indignantly.

'You 2-dimensional bunny faces are a work of art?' Kazane smirked.

'They are special in every way,' Rukia started drawing bunny faces and explained every single difference in them. Kazane sweat dropped.

DING DONG!

'Ops, I have to go. Nice talking to you, Rukia-chan!' Kazane got up and left.

'_Saved by the bell.'_

'_Literally.' _

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**Help needed, readers! I've been thinking of Haruka's true name and I can't seem to think of one. I just started learning Japanese so I can't really… 'make a name'. Haruka's abilities is ice-based so something with 'ice' or 'snow' would be nice! If you have any suggestions, can you please write them in the Review section? Thank you so much!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! Another chapter up today! I urgently need suggestions for Haruka's real name! Thank you for reading, everyone! And thank you to those who reviewed!**

Present time in Karakura Town…

Kazane leaned back on the bridge and closed her eyes. She could feel them. The spies sent from Soul Society. There were about 10 in all, positioned around the whole town. She groaned inwardly. It was harder to move around these days. So much for searching for a certain black cat…

Kazane's eyes snapped open. Directly above her was a Hollow climbing out from a crack in the sky. She gasped and located a few more in the area.

'What is happening around here? Hollows don't gather in a town unless they're attracted to something. What-'She suddenly remembered the small tablet she invented 100 or so years ago. 'Oh shit. Hollow bait. Who on earth would have the sense to use Hollow bait in a town!' She cursed inwardly and dashed towards Urahara Shoten.

'_I'm betting that Ishida used the bait. He probably wants to challenge Ichigo to a little competition,' Haruka said._

'_ISHIDA THAT IDIOT! Didn't he think of the consequences of using that bait? Does he want the town to get swallowed up with Hollows?' Kazane screamed on the inside._

'_Easy, Kazane. Relax. Screaming about his stupidity won't help get rid of the Hollows and protect the people. Urahara should have noticed the Hollows by now.'_

'_He must, or I'll personally kick his ass for selling that Hollow bait!' Kazane cursed._

Kazane threw open the door to Urahara Shoten and stormed inside. She ignored the stunned gaze of Rukia and slammed her hand down on the counter. 'Urahara Kisuke, who was the one whom you sold the Hollow bait to?' Kazane said with venom in her voice.

'What're you talking about, Kaza-chan?' Urahara said innocently.

'Don't give me that shit!' Kazane banged down on the table. 'You sold Hollow bait to Ishida-san, right?'

'Umm, yeah?' Urahara said.

Kazane pulled her hair and groaned loudly.

'Kazane, what did you say?' Rukia asked, suddenly very nervous.

'That stupid Ishida used the Hollow bait because of some silly childhood grudge. Now, he's challenging Ichigo to see who can defeat the most Hollows! How stupid can he be?' Kazane nearly screamed. 'Urahara-san, give me your stick!'

'It's a cane,' Urahara corrected but passed the cane to her.

'Rukia-chan, everything that you see here, please keep it a secret from Soul Society,' Kazane said pleadingly before pushing the stick into her body. Her shinigami self came out after a short struggle. Rukia gasped in shock.

'Kazane, you're a shinigami?' Rukia looked at the girl from top to bottom.

Kazane was wearing the usual black Hakama that seemed to fit her thin figure closely. A blue silk scarf was curled around her neck and it had a butterfly pin fastened on it. Her long blond hair was tied up in a high ponytail with a white piece of cloth. There was a bladeless Zanpakto tied to her waist. The hilt was decorated with Butterflies and Sakura petals and it has a transparent orb dangling at the bottom.

'I'm going first!' Kazane shot off using Flash-steps, leaving behind a trail of dust.

'Urahara-san, how long has Kazane been living as a shinigami?' Rukia said suspiciously.

'Longer than you, Kuchiki-san,' Urahara fanned himself. 'Shouldn't you be going now?'

'Oh yeah!' Rukia took off.

'Now, let's go pick up some guests, Tessai!' Urahara said cheerily.

'Yes!'

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'Begin your icy reign, Haruka!' Kazane held her bladeless zanpakto vertically, on level with her eye. The zanpakto glowed icy blue and it began to morph into a monster ice scythe. She said quietly to herself, 'I won't lose anyone, anymore! Let's go, Haruka!'

'_Alright! Finally, we get to hunt some stinkin' Hollows!' Haruka cheered happily._

Kazane flash-stepped to the nearest Hollow and took it down with a single swipe. She ran around the town in top speed, doing the same to all the Hollows she came across, taking them down quickly and efficiently.

'_Whoohooo! Your special fighting style, Mugetsu, right off the bat!' Haruka complimented. 'Your skills haven't weakened at all!'_

'_Haruka, we're on an intense hunting mission right now. Can you stop the snide comments and keep quite so I can concentrate!' Kazane said, annoyed. There was a sudden tremor and Kazane nearly lost her balance. 'What the heck?'_

She looked up and saw the cracks in the sky slowly gather in one spot. The Hollows made their way to the large crack, as if they were about to merge with the crack…

'Oh my god! A Menos Grande!' Kazane exclaimed. 'Why here of all places?'

'_You can take care of it no problem, right, Kazane?' Haruka said, confused. 'You can single-handedly defeat Gillians, no problem.'_

'_Of course I can, but the one who gonna fight that Gillian isn't me! It's Ishida-san and Ichigo,' Kazane groaned. _Shetook off to the direction where Ichigo's reiatsu was flaring crazily.

'Damn you, Ishida-san, you placed us all in danger!' Kazane hacked at the Hollows that were in her way. She arrived at a clearing where Ishida and Ichigo were part bickering part fighting. She sighed and sat down on one of the roofs.

'_You aren't gonna help?'_

'_The other Hollows are either dead or gathering at the crack,' Kazane informed. 'I'll just do the clean-up.'_

'_Clean-up? You want to play with the Gillian after Ichigo makes his lousy attempt at dealing with it?' Haruka snorted. 'What happened to your promise to not lose anyone?'_

'_The rest of the town people are in no danger, Haruka,' Kazane said, irritated. 'Didn't I tell you that all the Hollows are no longer terrorizing the innocent and helpless humans? Or are you too caught up with making cold jokes that you didn't listen to me?' _

'_My jokes aren't cold! Listen to the one I just made up: Why did the Hollow visit the Gillian?' Haruka paused a while to let Kazane absorb the question. She then continued, 'It wanted to be part of the Gillian's family!'_

_Kazane's hand twitched around her monster scythe. 'That's it! I'm going down there to hunt those stinkin' Hollows so that I can get my mind off your lousy jokes!'_

'…_Wasn't it funny?'_

Kazane jumped off the roof and landed on the ground with a small thud. She swung her scythe around, taking down 4 or 5 at a time. She caught Ishida's attention and he stopped to gape at her.

'Kurosaki, what are you doing here, with that scythe and that hakama…' Ishida asked.

'What?' Ichigo turned around and glared at Ishida. 'I'm here to fight Hollows right? And who says I'm carrying a scythe –Holy cow! Kazane? What are you doing here? My god, that scythe is big! How the hell are you carrying that-'

He was caught by Kazane who fire a Kido spell ant the Hollow that was creeping up behind him. 'Byakurai.' The Kido shot the Hollow in the head, killing it. She said, 'Watch your backs, boys, or you'll be taken down in an instant.' Kazane than continued to take down the Hollows that remained.

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From Urahara's side…

'What? She's taking them down like they're ants!' Rukia exclaimed. 'And that Kido just now, it was so perfectly done! She fights like Onii-sama!'

'No, it should be your brother that fights like her,' Urahara corrected gently. 'When Kazane and your brother were young, they created a style of fighting together, though only Kazane perfected it. I wouldn't be surprised if he still continues to use that style of fighting. It is efficient and near flawless even if it is not mastered completely.'

'How… Onii-sama and Kazane knew each other? That means Kazane is not a human… is she?' Rukia asked confusedly. 'Was she a shinigami before?'

Urahara didn't reply. He fanned himself for a while before saying, 'You have to ask you brother or Kazane. I'm not in the position to give answers.'

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Back to Ichigo and the others…

'Ichigo, Ishida-san, look. The Menos is starting to come out,' Kazane pointed to the sky where a Gillian was poking his face out. She looked at them for a moment before sighing, 'What are you waiting for? Go slice it up or shoot it with an arrow, whatever you do.'

'Kill something that big? Are you kidding me?' Ichigo pointed at the Gillian furiously. 'Why don't you do it? You look like you can deal with it better than us!'

'I can, actually,' Kazane said. She turned and smiled at Ichigo. 'But I figured you should go have a go at it before I finish it off.'

'What? That's impossible! I can't fight something so insanely large! I'll die!' Ichigo protested angrily.

The Gillian suddenly fired a Cero at them. Kazane quickly dashed in front of the group and used a Kido spell to shield them from attack. She shouted at Ichigo, 'If you don't stop this thing, people will die! Menos have a frightening amount of destructive ability!'

'Argh!!!' Ichigo ran forward and tried to slice the Gillian's leg. He only managed to give it a tiny cut. Kazane sweat dropped. She sniggered when she say Ishida and Ichigo bicker and dropped to the floor, laughing.

'_Why is it that you can laugh when you see people fight, and yet you lose your ability to truly appreciate humor when I tell my superb jokes?' Haruka fumed at Kazane._

'_Umm, because your jokes sucks?' Kazane replied helpfully._

'_I'm so heartbroken! Wahhh…' Haruka cried loudly but Kazane could feel her smile._

'_Look, Haruka, and you will discover true humor,' Kazane pointed to Ishida who had his head strapped to Ichigo's zanpakto._

'_My god, that is the ultimate joke of all jokes!' Haruka gaped. She screamed with laughter._

'_Enough laughing, Haruka, it's time for us to play,' _Kazane got up and picked up her scythe. 'Whoah!' She gaped at Ichigo, who somehow managed to cut the Gillian.

'_Go go, Kazane!' Haruka cheered._

Kazane lifted her scythe in the air and jumped. She brought the scythe down on the Gillian's face and sliced if all the way down. The Gillian screamed before disappearing.

'Kazan, you can actually kill a Gillian that easily?' Ichigo asked, amazed. He walked to her but fell down in the process. 'Ahh... I can't move my body!'

'His spirit is overwhelming him. He hasn't got used to releasing this much energy in one shot!' Kazane said, panicked. She knelt down to examine him. 'Ishida-san, come help me turn me over- Ishida-san, stop! If you do that, your arm will be ripped off!'

'I don't care!' Ishida drew another arrow and prepared to shoot it. 'Ahh!'

Kazane had kicked Ishida in the face. 'Sai!'

'What did you do, Kurosaki? If you don't help Kurosaki-' Ishida struggled helplessly.

'I just restrained you, don't worry. And Ishida-san, it's Hiroshi, not Kurosaki,' Kazane lifted her scythe. 'Leave Ichigo to me. BANKAI!'

Kazane's scythe dissolved into thin air and reappeared as a longer but thinner scythe. She was dressed in a white kimono that turned blue near the hem of the kimono with slits that reached her thighs at the sides. A white hood with blue edges covered her head. She held the scythe in front of her and said, 'First movement, Winter's Cradle!'

The surrounding was suddenly snowing. Ichigo began to calm down and he stopped writhing in pain. The wounds on Ishida's fingers and arms began to heal as well.

'What? Her Bankai heals people?'

'Only Winter's Cradle does that. My Bankai has offensive, defensive and… mass massacre moves as well.' Kazane told him.

'I-incredible…' Ishida choked out.

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Back to Urahara…

'She has Bankai…' Rukia breathed out. 'Amazing. Only a handful are able to do that.'

Urahara smiled behind his fan._ So you finally showed us your Bankai…_

**Whew! I found it quite hard to write Kazane's shinigami self. Please Read and Review! Thank you for reading, everyone.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! Sorry for the late update. My family was dragging me across half the country. I didn't even have time to touch my laptop… *sobs*. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it! RXR!**

Present time… The huge cavity under Urahara Shoten…

'Oww!' Urahara yelped as he was singed by a sharp Kido spell from Kazane. 'Kazan-chan, there's no need for such haste! Shouldn't you be at school?'

Kazane fired another Kido spell. 'Shut up, Urahara-san. I'm skipping school. I've been through the same syllabus for 100 years. I can recite the whole textbook backwards.' Kazane took out her zanpakto and released it. 'You should know why I'm doing this.'

Ururu appeared at the door. 'Urahara-san, there's a black cat outside the shop…'

'Black cat?' Kazane stopped attacking Urahara and paused. 'Youruichi-san?'

'The one and only,' Youruichi jumped down into the large open space. 'What are you doing down here?'

'Ah…' Kazane thought for a while. 'Training while kicking Urahara-san's ass for selling something potentially dangerous to a stupid Quincy?'

'Don't say that, Kaza-chan! I was just doing my job as the shop owner,' Urahara waved his fan.

'What was the Hollow bait doing in the shop anyways,' Kazane grumbled.

'Haha, first things first,' Urahara rushed to Youruichi and lifted her high in the air. 'Youruichi, you're finally back!'

Kazane's face turned a little pale. 'I'm so glad I'm not Urahara-san's only relative.' She made her way to the long staircase. 'I'm going to school. See you later.'

'Wait, Kaza-chan,' Youruichi said sharply. Kazane turned around slowly. Youruichi continued, 'Is it alright for you to be walking on the streets like that? There are shinigami out there.'

'I'll be alright. Those shinigami are probably newbies that have no idea what happened 100 years ago. Those that actually know us are most likely high-ranking officers by now. They won't be wandering around in the human world looking for some lone shinigami,' Kazane replied.

'You know that isn't the case. _He _is out there,' Youruichi narrowed her eyes.

Kazane's eyes turned cold. 'He won't find me, I guarantee you. He probably won't remember me.'

'Wait, Kaza-chan!' Youruichi called. Too late, she had already dashed up the stairs. Youruichi grumbled.

'Would you like your milk hot or cold?' Urahara asked.

'Hot. Remember to remove the foam,' Youruichi jumped out of Urahara's grasp and climbed up the staircase.

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Present time… Karakura High School…

'Rukia-chan, do you like Kurosaki-kun?' Mahana asked. Rukia spat out her milk.

'We were just wondering what your relationship with Kurosaki-kun is,' another girl asked.

Rukia thought for a while before replying with a strange expression, 'We're just friends.' She listened to the girls argue over something while thinking sadly in her heart, _'When the time comes, I'll have to cut myself from them. This really is … nothing but a saddening emotion.'_

'Ah, someone's playing the piano,' Chizuru noted. They listened closely and heard the tinkling sound of someone playing the piano. 'That must be Kurosaki-chan…'

'Kazane-chan is really amazing. She plays the piano really well and performs in restaurants and concerts now and then,' Orihime said. 'I heard she's even better than our music teacher, despite the lack of experience.'

'_Lack of experience? I doubt that. She probably around the same age as me, being a shinigami and all. Come to think of it, I haven't asked her how she knew Byakuya-aniki,' _Rukia thought. _'It doesn't matter though. I'll be going back soon. To Soul Society, where I belong. I wonder… if Kazane belongs in Soul Society as well…'_

'Rukia-chan, the bell has rung. Let's go!' Orihime said. Rukia nodded and stood up.

_Nothing but a saddening emotion. Shinigami shouldn't have these emotions._

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Present time, somewhere in Karakura Town…

'Am I getting too attached to this world?' Rukia said to herself quietly.

'That's right!' Someone from behind her said loudly. 'Man, you're talking backwards now because you've been enjoying the human world for so long…' He broke into an evil smile, 'you can only live for a little longer, Rukia!'

'Renji… Abarai Renji, is that you?' Rukia asked, petrified.

Renji came down and slashed the ground in front of her. 'You're too caught up in your thoughts that you didn't notice the hunter behind you. Even though you're in that false form, you've soften up these two or three months. Call him, Rukia, the human that stole your powers.'

'What… are you talking about? Just because I'm in this gigai doesn't mean I've lost my powers,' Rukia stuttered.

'It's a known fact that your powers were stolen by a human… a mere human… Don't just stand there with a human expression on your face! You're from the Kuchiki clan! You should not be holding that human-like expression, right, Kuchiki-sama?'

Rukia turned around, seeing the stoic brother of hers. 'Byakuya-aniki…'

'Rukia,' He acknowledged her coldly.

An attack came from Renji. Rukia dodged it narrowly, earning a small cut on her face.

'Giving your powers to a human is a very serious sin for a shinigami. We have been appointed to kill the human who stole your shinigami powers,' Renji said. 'Call him, Rukia, and we'll kill the guy who stole your powers. Don't think about protecting him! You should know very well, right? When you were attacked before, you didn't escape! I let you escape! This time, my attack will be serious!'

A blue arrow came shooting from behind. Renji dodged it, shocked.

'A man attacking an unarmed lady? That isn't a good scene to walk into,' Ishida appeared. 'I really dislike… this sort of thing…'

Renji grinned evilly, 'Who the hell are you?'

'Just a friend in her class… that dislikes shinigami…' Ishida pushed up his glasses.

'Uryuu…' Rukia said. 'Why are you here?'

'Pure chance, Kuchiki Rukia. Don't worry about it,' Ishida gave a very stupid and pathetic excuse, ranting on about an art shop and a plastic bag. The strap of his bag suddenly broke and he looked up, shocked.

'Stop saying shit, four-eyes. I already asked you this before…Who the hell are you?' Renji drew his sword. 'Well, if you can't answer, then that's alright. I'll finish you off first!'

'Hold on! This guy has nothing to do with us!' Rukia hastily said.

Ishida ignored Rukia and said, 'What are you talking about? I already told you, I'm a classmate of Rukia… that hates shinigami.'

'Well I don't care about that shit!' Renji grinned.

'Ishida Uryuu… Pleased to meet your acquaintance,' Ishida said.

Renji was stumped. 'Eh… What are you talking about all of a sudden?'

'Well, since you put it that way, I should at least tell you my name. And even though you're just a shinigami, you'll still want the name of the guy who defeated you.' Ishida said cockily.

'I've decided!' Renji said, holding his sword out. 'I'm gonna kill you!'

'No! Don't do it, Renji! Uryuu!' Rukia screamed.

'Stay right there, Ishida-san!' someone said from above.

'Who's there?' Renji turned towards the lamp post and saw Kazane sitting there, in her shinigami uniform, with a laptop on her lap. He smirked, 'Are you the one who stole Rukia's powers? I'm gonna kill you!' Renji jumped and slashed her. Renji grinned when he saw the deep cut on her chest. 'Now that wasn't too hard…'

'You really fell for it, didn't you?' Kazane said. She was standing on a wall not to far apart, holding the laptop in her hands. 'I have to thank Youruichi-san for teaching me that. Molting Cicada…' She shot a Kido spell at Ishida and knocked him out.

'What the heck-?' Renji stuttered. 'A mere rookie shinigami can't do that!'

'She's not the one who stole Rukia's powers, Renji. She is nobody,' Byakuya said coldly.

Kazane looked up from her laptop and gazed at him. '_Only 95% complete. Even if I manage to get away with Rukia, we'll need another 7 days for the Hougyoku to be completely buried in her soul. We won't be able to hold them off for that long…'_

'_Things are progressing as expected… to the next stage…' Haruka said._

'_Yes, the stage that I don't really like… You know what to do, Haruka. We'll just be holding them off until Ichigo comes.'_

'_Yes, yes, I know. Now let's get this party started!'_

Kazane sighed and pressed a button on the laptop. The laptop shrunk to the size of a palm and she pocketed it. She turned slowly to face Byakuya. "Yo, Byakuya.'

He flinched. 'Don't address me so casually.'

'How dare you talk to Kuchiki-sama so casually? I'll make you pay!' Renji attacked her again. In a flash, Kazane broke off Renji's blade. She lifted two fingers, aimed it at his right shoulder and whispered, 'Byakurai.'

The Kido spell shot through his shoulder. Renji screamed and clutched his bleeding shoulder.

'Sai.' The binding spell froze Renji. Kazane jumped down and touched his shoulder. The wound seemed to begun knitting itself back.

'Hey, what's this? You wound me and now you heal me? You're healing the enemy, you know!' Renji said through gritted teeth.

'I am, in the end, a shinigami, like you. I'll feel guilty if I don't heal you. Besides, you still have to fight _him_,' Kazane said quietly. She turned around to face Byakuya. 'Can you entertain me until the one you want to find gets here?'

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. 'Why should I?'

Kazane drew her zanpakto and released it. 'If not, I'll just entertain myself.' She flashed stepped to him and attacked swiftly. He quickly drew his blade to block her scythe. She whispered, 'So, how about a friendly match?'

Byakuya just said, 'Che.'

'I take that as a yes then,' Kazane jumped and did a back flip in the air. She landed on the wall and crouched down. 'By the way, 'Che' sounds a bit unsuitable for a grow-up noble like you. We aren't young anymore, so we can't pass off our crude language as ignorance, Byakuya.'

'I said, don't address me like that!' Byakuya told her coldly. 'You're no longer a noble, my fiancée. Don't address me so intimidatingly!'

'Old habits die hard, Byakuya,' Kazane held out her scythe and drew a full circle with it. 'Mugetsu style, 21st level!' Kazane disappeared into the air and appeared behind him, attacking swiftly and silently. Byakuya stopped it just in time, only to whirl around again to stop another blow from her. He was soon being overwhelmed.

Cursing silently, he fired a Kido spell at her. She spun around gracefully and shot a quick but powerful one in return. It caught the edge of his sleeve and burnt it.

'Mugetsu is a style I created from scratch. It focuses on stealthy and quiet moves, using Kido spells to fight when the opponent is near, thus giving him a serious injury due to the point-blank range. You learnt this style from me, but only until the 18th level. Your incomplete style is no match for me,' Kazane told him. 'What's more, Mugetsu is a style designed for long weapons like a scythe of a spear. I have the upper hand here. You cannot beat me in a game I created.' She did a quick attack and wounded his shoulder.

'Scatter, Senbonzakura,' Byakuya held his sword in front of him. His blade split into thousands of tiny pieces, each glowing pink in the light.

'No! Kazane, stay away! You cannot beat him when he releases his Shikai! Run!' Rukia screamed.

Kazane ignored her and gazed at the older man in front of her. 'Well? Aren't you going to attack me?'

The tiny blades scattered around and shot at her.

'NO!' Rukia yelled.

Strangely, the tiny Sakura petals stopped when they were a feet away from her. Kazane grinned and raised her left hand. They shot right back at Byakuya. He dodged it, shocked.

'Haven't you noticed? This town is scattered with my reiatsu. It is what protects most of the people from Hollow attacks. The moment you released your Shikai, you fell right into my trap. The reiatsu gained control over your Shikai, and turned them into my own weapon,' Kazane said. She held up a hand to catch a petal. The petal dissolved into her hand. 'I'll be taking a part of your powers…'

'When… have you gotten this strong?' Byakuya asked.

'This strong? This isn't my full strength, Byakuya. This is under 10% of my powers. I win… because I have the upper hand, and I have the resolve, which you don't. I doubt you'll ever fight me using your full strength,' Kazane turned her scythe back into her sword hilt. 'It looks like he's here, the one you are after. I'll be going…'

'Wait, you aren't going to help him? Or help save Rukia?' Renji called from his position.

'Do you want me to?' Kazane turned around to look at him. Renji felt a shiver go down his spine. 'No, I won't stay to help. I'm going to prepare a room for him. There's no way he's gonna get away unscathed. And no, I'm not going to protect Rukia or whatever. Even if I take her away from this place, you'll still look for her, right? I might as well let you take her now.'

'You aren't… going to help Ichigo?' Rukia said.

Kazane turned to look at her. 'No, that idiot needs to know the difference between the Gotei 13's strength and his own. He's terribly inexperience and ignorant,' She jumped onto the roof of a house. 'Byakuya, the next time we meet will most likely be in Seireitei. If you manage to come up with a new style and defeat me with it, I'll return this fragment of your power. Ja!'

And she took off into the night.

**Whew! That was tough, writing the fight scenes. I have to brush up on that. Please tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**One more chapter up! My writing speed has decreased… Sorry everyone! I should take typing classes…**

Present time, a room in Urahara Shoten…

'Kaza-chan, it's late. You should go home now,' Urahara said to Kazane.

Kazane looked up from her work. 'I don't feel like going home. I don't want to have to explain to Yuzu about what happened to Ichigo… Even though what will come out will be a whole tissue of lies… If I lie anymore, my nose will grow longer.'

Urahara laughed, 'Now that's amusing. What are you working on?'

Kazane showed him the three pieces of earrings she was working on. They were each a chain with a thin piece of gold plated metal dangling on it. Urahara picked up one of them and held it gingerly to the light. The intricate and complex patterning was visible clearly in the light.

'Wow, is this a communicator? Complex but obviously a work of art…' Urahara whistled. 'It's only half done, right? These things take days to make one but you finished almost half of these in a day. Genius as always, Kaza-chan. What do you plan to do with it?'

'Use it of course. You do know that I've made up my mind to go to Soul Society with them, don't you?' Kazane looked up at him. 'But let me make this clear to you. My only motive is to recover or destroy the Hougyoku. I have no intention of assisting Ichigo and the others in the rescue of Kuchiki Rukia. Anything that happens to them is none of my business. My actions are purely for the Hougyoku and nothing else. If they hinder my way, I won't hesitate to use force to remove them.'

Urahara smiled, 'Scary, Kaza-chan. Are you really sure?'

'Yes,' Kazane replied with unwavering eyes. 'I don't care if Kuchiki Rukia lives or die.'

'Even if Byakuya turns out to hate you?'

Kazane looked away. She replied in a small voice, 'He can't hate a person that has already died. I felt it that day, when we were fighting. And I felt it from the power I took from him. Byakuya has already erased me from his heart. To him, I am already dead. I died 100 years ago. Our relationship is not like before.' Kazane clutched her heart.

'But even so, you still can't get over him, right?' Urahara tilted his hat downwards.

'It hurts… to think that the one person that I truly love….' A tear slid down her pale cheek. Kazane shook her head slightly. 'Do you mind if I stay here for the night? I can't go home in this state. I can't face Yuzu or Karin like this.'

'Sure, stay as long as you want!' Urahara showed her the way to a spare room. 'Oww!'

Kazane had whacked the back of his head with a broom. 'Don't go thinking perverted stuff, Geta Boshi.'

'That's cruel!' Urahara cried.

'Hn,' Kazane sat down on the floor. 'Urahara-san?'

'Yes?'

'Thanks. Good night,' Kazane said.

'Good night. Sweet dreams,' Urahara closed the door and walked away.

'_Don't cry, Kazane. When you do, the snow turns all mushy and muddy. The weather isn't nice in here when you are felling upset,' Haruka told her sortly._

'_The tears won't stop. The pain, it feels like it's suffocating me,' _Kazane drew her legs to her chest and hugged herself tightly. _'It feels as if I'm falling apart. It hurts, Haruka, it really hurts. It hurts to know that he doesn't think of me anymore. It hurts to know that the next time we meet, we will be enemies.'_

_Haruka paused for a while. She said in a pained voice, 'It's raining hail in here. Ouch, that really hurts, Kazane.'_

'_Sorry, Haruka. It looks like you have to take control again,' _Kazane managed a small chuckle.

'_Go to sleep, Kazane. I'll put an end to the hail storm. Ouch, another one got me,' Haruka yelped in pain._

Kazane lied down on the floor and closed her eyes. She was out in a few minutes.

'_You know things are bad when there's a hail storm in here. The last time there was a hail storm was more than a century ago. Normally, the snow will only get a bit slushy,' Haruka sighed. She took control of Kazane's emotions and calmed her down. 'But you know things are disastrous when I actually have to control her emotions. She's so upset that she can't even control her own powers.'_

_There was a crackle. 'Kazane is upset again. What made her cry this time?' A Kazane-look-alike appeared beside Haruka. 'I wanna rip him into shreds.'_

'_You shouldn't be here, Shiroi-hime. Besides, Kazane would be even more upset if she finds out you had taken control of her body and slaughtered Kuchiki Byakuya.'_

'_Ah? It's that aristocratic brat again? What did he do this time?' Shiroi-hime sat down on thin air and folded her arms. 'I never really liked aristocrats.'_

'_You've forgotten that Kazane is an aristocrat as well. Actually, was an aristocrat,' Haruka sat down beside her. 'If Kazane was an aristocrat, we were aristocrats. We are, after all, the same person.'_

_Shiroi-hime scowled, 'That's why I hate aristocrats. I hate myself.'_

'_For being a Hollow that once tried to eat your other self?'_

'_For being so much like an aristocrat –arrogant and ignorant- that I didn't understand who Kazane was before I tried to eat her. Aristocrats really suck!' Shiroi-hime kicked the ground, sending a wave of snow into the air._

'_Hime! Mind your language!' Haruka clutched her throat._

_Shiroi-hime laughed a tinkling laugh. 'Okay, okay, we're aristocrats so we should mind our words. But I don't see the point. We aren't like them anymore, are we? That part of our lives is over and done with,' Shiroi-hime looked up into the snowy sky. 'It doesn't matter, either way. I'm not exactly the pillar of goodness. Good night, Haruka. No, Fuyusuisei.'_

_Haruka tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 'Why the sudden use of my true name?'_

_Shiroi-hime chuckled. 'Kazane hasn't been using it for so long I thought you'd forgotten!' She turned and disappeared. _

_Haruka smiled. 'That's not true. Kazane's been calling my name every night, every day. But she hasn't told me what she wanted.'_

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Next day at Urahara Shoten…

'Kurosaki-kun, take this pill every hour. Your wounds should heal by sundown. We'll start our training then,' Urahara held out a bottle of pills.

'Oh, okay,' Ichigo took the pills and shoved it into his bag. 'I'll be going then.'

'Urahara-san?' Kazane came out of her room. Her eyes were red and there were bags under her eyes. 'Are you there?'

'Ehhh! Geta Boshi, what did you do to my sister?' Ichigo pointed at the blond girl. 'Did you drug her and-?'

WHAM! Kazane had grabbed Urahara's cane and whacked the side of Ichigo's head with it. She said with twitching eyes, 'Don't you go thinking about weird and sick stuff, Ichi-nii. You won't live to see the consequences. Besides, Urahara-san knows better than to do something to me. He simply doesn't have the guts to do so.'

'I simply value my life too much,' Urahara said under his breath.

WHAM! Kazane whacked Urahara's head with the cane as well. 'Really, the next time I'm camping out at Inoue's house. By the way, it's 5 minutes to eight. Shouldn't you be at school by now?'

'Oh yeah! I'm gonna be late!' Ichigo ran at full speed out of the shop.

'Remember to take your pills!' Urahara called. He looked back to see the exhausted girl. 'Had a bad dream?'

'I dreamt about the experiment,' Kazane folded her arms and looked away.

'Ahh…' Urahara picked up his cane and tilted his hat down. 'You still remember it huh?'

'Anyone would remember an experience like that,' Kazane said stubbornly.

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_Flashback…_

_Kazane walked around the 12__th__ division area, distributing documents to the different departments. All of a sudden, hands clamped down on her mouth and waist and dragged her away. She struggled to break free but the hands gripped her_ _even tighter. She looked down and recognized the familiar blue finger nailed hands._

'Kurotsuchi-sempai…' _Kazane thought angrily. Then, a needle was slammed into her neck and all was black._

_The next clear memory was terrifying. She was strapped down to a surgery table while Mayuri did something to her hand. There was a sharp stab of pain. Kazane turned her head to the left to see what Mayuri was doing. She wanted to scream but there was a gag in her mouth. Mayuri was boring a hole into her palm. He then picked up a small round ball and inserted it into the bloody hole. Electric-like currents shot down her body and stabbed every part of her. She tried to scream again but it was useless. The pain blinded her and all she could think about was how to get rid of the pain. She distinctly heard someone talking._

'_Synch rate is over 80%... 85%... 90%... Maximum synch rate is 97%. It's better than the other test subjects. Much better,' the assistant said._

'_Great. Let's use this opportunity to test out what it can do,' Mayuri crackled. _

'_How?' the assistant asked, bewildered._

'_I did a bit of probing and found out that she's terrified by fire. Let's use that to force it out of her,' Mayuri moved away. She heard a door slam shut and a finger knocking on a window._

'An observation room… Haruka, are you there? Haruka?' _Kazane thought anxiously._

'Ouch, this thing Mayuri placed in your hand is burning me… IT'S BURNING ME!' Haruka screamed.

'It's fire-based, I think. Or maybe even electric-based. If that's so, then why did my body accept it?' _Kazane felt the straps loosen and drop off. She slowly got up, wincing at the pain. Haruka was right. The substance that was inserted into her hand was burning her body from inside out._

'You didn't accept it… I did…' another voice was heard inside her head. 'I accepted it. I'm tired of all the snow. I want some fire!'

'No… Hollow…' Haruka gasped. 'Are you crazy? Kazane's abilities are ice-based! If you introduce fire into her, the elements will clash! We all will die!'

'Hollow…?' _Kazane breathed heavily. She raised her left hand and looked at it. The ball was still visible but the area around it was growing to swallow it into her hand. She touched it gingerly, and felt another wave of current shooting through her body. She gasped and blinked, trying to overcome her pain._

'You're so hopeless… You can't even take a bit of pain. Oh boy, what's gonna happen next is gonna be trilling!' the Hollow laughed loudly.

_Fire shot out from everywhere around her. She could feel the heat. She could see the fiery blaze. Her hands shook._

'_NOOOOOOO!' Kazane clutched her head with both her arms and screamed. She scrambled to get away from the flames. 'Noo… make it stop…please… No more fire…' Her left hand glowed red and orange. It burnt her badly but she didn't notice it._

_Inside the observation room…_

'_Whaa… Kurotsuchi-sempai, my hand… it's moving on its own!' the assistant tried to pull the controlled hand away from the row of switches. 'I can't stop it…'_

'_What?' Mayuri looked up and snapped at him. 'What are you doing? Remove your hand from the switched immediately! Don't you dare turn the fire off.'_

'_I can't stop it… That girl… Hiroshi… she's controlling my hand!' the assistant tugged at his hand. It was inching closer and closer to the fire switch. 'I think you have your answer…!' His hand shook as it turned off the fire. _

_Mayuri smirked. 'Maybe you're right… Turn the fire back on. I want to see it again.'_

'_I can't…' the assistant cried helplessly. His hand was wrapped around his neck, strangling him. 'Help me… Kurotsuchi-sempai…' His eyes rolled back and his knees buckled. _

_Mayuri turned away and began writing on a sheet of paper. 'Your sacrifice was necessary for science.'_

_The assistant glared at him weakly. She crawled to his feet and jabbed the 'Emergency' button. Sirens roared through out the Division. Mayuri turned around furiously to find the assistant dead. He growled. 'Damn you… You just ruined my experiment!'_

_The doors slammed open and Urahara walked in, followed by the rest of his division. He glanced around and regarded the weird genius coldly. 'Mayuri-san, I did not remember giving you authorization to conduct an experiment.'_

'_Ahh…' Kazane doubled over and fell to the floor. Her hand was bleeding a lot and it stained her uniform. She let out a blood-curling scream. Urahara hurried to her side. He pinned her down and examined her bloody hand._

'_What did you do, Mayuri-san?' Urahara asked coldly. Mayuri fiddled with his hands._

'_Well…' he was cut off by Kazane._

'_Please… get this out of me… It's burning me like crazy…' Kazane whimpered. Her reiatsu was flaring dangerously. It knocked a few of the Division members off their feet. Urahara winced at the cold and icy reiatsu. Kazane gripped his hakama. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. 'The hollow in my head… Get rid of it too…'_

_Urahara's eyes widened. 'What do you mean by that?'_

_Kazane had already passed out. Her face was pale from losing so much blood._

'_Change in priority! Get the 4__th__ Division over! She needs to be treated immediately!' Urahara called. The division members who were still standing hurried to comply. They just wanted to get out of the room that was overflowing with Kazane's reiatsu._

'That was a bad experience, huh…' Urahara agreed. 'But that prompted me to research more on Hollowfication. The substance put inside you was a trigger for the Hollow to come out. Thus, the Hougyoku was able to be made from the same substance. I guess it's because you and the Hougyoku are like siblings, that's why you don't want Aizen to get his hands on it.'

Kazane traced a pearly white scar on her left palm. 'That… and because I don't want any more people to go through the same experience as I did…'

Urahara looked up. He saw the terror of the incident still reflected in her eyes. 'Why…'

'Hmm?' Kazane looked up.

'Why are you so afraid of fire?'

Kazane let out a small smile. 'That's because I died in a fire when I was a human. And it's because my mother… the Hirako clan head's wife… tried to kill me by throwing me into the burning mansion.'

'_Thank you for coming over, Byakuya-dono…' Kazane smiled at the Kuchiki clan's future head._

'_It's alright. It's ironic though… You got ill in cold weather even though your abilities are ice-based,' Byakuya scratched his head._

_Kazane laughed. 'That means I'm not an idiot. Idiots don't get sick.'_

_Byakuya fumed. 'Are you calling me an idiot because I'm not sick?'_

'_I didn't say you were an idiot… Neither did I say you weren't,' Kazane chuckled._

'_Kuchiki-sama, we have to go. Your parents are waiting for you,' one of his servants said._

'_Alright. I'll be going now,' Byakuya got on the sedan._

'_Come again some time. We'll play flash-step tag then,' Kazane waved. 'Until next time…'_

'_Until next time…' Byakuya waved his hand. The sedan drove off and Kazane walked back into the mansion. _

'_FIRE! FIRE IN THE MAIN HOUSE!' one of the servants bellowed. Kazane looked up and saw smoke rising from the main house. The house where the clan heads lived. _

'_Otou-sama! Okaa-sama!' Kazane flash-stepped to the main house. She wandered around, trying to search for her parent's reiatsu. She located them in their room. Hurriedly, she dashed to the room and opened the door._

'_Okaa-sama, Otou-sama, there's a fire here! Please get out-!' Kazane gasped. Her father was in the flames, burning to death. Her mother was standing in a corner, grinning maliciously. Kazane backed away. Tears leaked out from the side of her eyes. 'Okaa-sama… Why?'_

_Her mother rounded on her and grabbed her by the shoulder. 'Let everything end today! Your father only had eyes for your older brother Shinji. He never cared about us! Never! He only had eyes for that commoner and her son! Let everything end… today…' Her mother tossed her into the fire. She landed on top of her father. She looked at him, terrified. His eyes were still open and he was looking up into the sky. He raised a hand and pointed to the ceiling. His eyes held a look of longing. Then, he quietly closed his eyes and accepted his death. The flames flickered around her body, scorching her clothes and body. Kazane placed a hand on her chest and a layer of ice formed around her body. With tears still flowing, she slammed a hand down on the floor. Ice shot out of nowhere and froze the flames. And icy mist hanged around the floor._

'_Why… Okaa-sama…' Kazane looked up with pleading eyes. 'Is your hatred that great that you have to kill? Is your hatred that great that you have to send the man you really love to his death? Okaa-sama!'_

_Kazane's mother had slit her throat. Her eyes let out a look of satisfaction. Her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor. Kazane watched her blood soak the wooden floor._

'_Okaa-sama…' Kazane cried out. She regained her composure. 'Rest in peace… Okaa-sama…'_

'What happened after that?' Urahara asked. 'The Hirako clan was removed from the four noble houses, right?'

'Yes… All the remaining family fortune was transferred to Hirako Shinji. He became the clan head, although it wasn't a noble family anymore. But a year after that, he quit as the head of the clan. The Hirako clan became history then,' Kazane played with her hair.

'The marriage? The engagement?' Urahara asked.

'It was called off, of course. Kuchiki Byakuya was meant to marry a noble of equal class. I was no longer a noble. But Kuchiki Ginrei-dono was exceptionally kind about it. I still remember what he told me on that day:_ Once a noble, always a noble. You may not be a noble in status, but you are a noble in your heart. _Honestly, I never imagined he would say something like that…_'_

'But it's true, no?' Urahara walked to the dining area, motioning her to follow.

'I guess… But a noble in heart is not enough to keep the engagement with Byakuya. In the end, he is destined to marry a noble, not a fallen noble like me,' Kazane sat down at the table. Youruichi was lazing around at the table. Kazane tickled her stomach and picked up a bowl of rice.

'I heard Byakuya-kun married a commoner some 55 years ago,' Youruichi told her.

Kazane choked on her first bite of rice. 'What-?'

'It's only a rumor though…' Youruichi turned around. Urahara set down a bowl of milk and Youruichi began lapping it up.

Kazane took out a piece of catnip and waved it in front of her. Youruichi's cat instinct took over and she begged for it. Kazane then threw it out of the shop and used a Kido spell to shoot the catnip far away. Very very far away.

'Meow!' Youruichi meowed and chased the catnip.

'You're evil…' Urahara noted.

'Evil's my other name,' Kazane said sweetly and resumed eating.

**I'm sorry for the late update. I've been wondering what to write in this chapter and the idea of Kazane's past came up. I needed time to think it over though… Read and Review!**

**Special thanks to Hoshi no Y.U.N.A. for Haruka's name: Fuyusuisei!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello dear readers! I'm sorry for the delay. I hope I can churn out the next chapter soon. I know, I know, you're waiting for the Soul Society arc. I didn't write it in this chapter but it will surely turn out in the next! Until then, Bye!!**

Present time… Urahara Shoten…

'You aren't gonna tell me why you're here, are you?' Ichigo leant over his foster sister's shoulder and examined her work. 'What's this? Some sort of fashion accessory?' Ichigo moved to pick one up.

SLAP! 'You're getting the metal dirty with your filthy hands. Back off before I severe your arm,' Kazane growled. Apparently, she did not like being interrupted in her work. Ichigo backed away nervously. She turned around and looked at him. 'Aren't you gonna train? You seemed quite hyped up about getting it done quickly yesterday.'

'Eh… I'm kinda nervous about it. Could you… um… come down with me?' Ichigo fiddled with his thumbs.

'No.' Straight and without hesitation, she gave him the disappointing answer. 'You shouldn't be afraid of such training, even though they're dangerous.'

'Dangerous? What do you mean dangerous? No one told me about that!' Ichigo shouted.

'Shut up, you're loud. Don't you know? No pain, no gain. I have a fair idea on how Urahara-san's gonna help you get your powers back. There's a good chance that you'll die in the process…' Kazane opened a drawer at her work table and sifted through the tools. 'Found it!'

'What-' Kazane punched him in the head with her glove. Ichigo's soul separated from his body and stumbled a few steps back. 'What do you think you're doing? Urgh…' Ichigo bent down, suddenly very nauseous and weak.

'It's your first time, no? Being out of your body while not in the form of a shinigami is hardly a pleasant experience,' Kazane towered over him. 'Now get your butts moving! There isn't time to waste! Every second spent moping around is a second wasted!' Kazane lifted him by the collar and tossed him down the secret door in the shop. She jumped after him, landing gracefully on the floor. She looked around and saw Ichigo sprawled on the ground.

'What did you think you were doing? I could have died! Wait, how did you get down here without getting hurt? You're insane!' Ichigo pointed at her and ranted on.

'Shut up, you're noisy,' Kazane placed a finger in her ear. 'You sure have a lot of energy for a soul.'

'Urgh, now that you've mentioned it…' Ichigo bent down again. 'What wrong with me? I didn't have this problem when I was a shinigami.'

'That's your answer!' Kazane grinned. 'That's one of the differences between shinigami and living souls. By right, souls that are still living in the human world shouldn't be separated from the body, whereas for shinigami… well, they're already dead. They live in a fake body called a gigai which they can discard anytime. Your chain of fate is still there, right?'

Ichigo looked down and saw the thick chain protruding out of his chest and linking him to his body. 'Oh yeah, I never noticed it until you mentioned it.'

Kazane sighed, 'You need to be more observant. Ah, it seems like your 'teacher' finally decides to show up!' Kazane looked at the group that showed up. She waved and prepared to climb the ridiculously long ladder. 'Enjoy your class, Ichi-nii. It's not every day Urahara-san decides to train others.' Kazane looked at the Geta Boshi and sighed. She added in an undertone, 'Though it's not exactly for free… Naïve teenagers.'

'_Aren't you a teenager too?' Haruka chuckled._

'_Nope. By right, I'm 153 years old.' Kazane thought back. 'I'm much older than your average teenager.'_

'_You still look like a teenager.'_

'_Looks can be deceiving, Haruka,' Kazane thought. 'Isn't that the case with Ukitake-taicho and Kyoraku-taicho?'_

'_True…' _

'_Fuyusuisei,' Kazane said seriously._

'_Oh? It's been a long time since you called me by my true name. Consciously, at least,' Haruka laughed. 'What is it?'_

'_Let's go training when I'm done with the communicator. It's been a long time since we did hardcore training.'_

'_Wow, I'm actually gonna train? That's so trilling!' Haruka said, her words laced with sarcasm._

'_Enough with the sarcasm, Haruka,' Kazane's eyebrows twitched._

'_Aww, you're back to calling me Haruka,' Haruka moped._

'…' Kazane got back to her work table and sat down. She looked at the three communicators and sighed.

'_On the outside, you look like you couldn't care less. But in reality, you actually care a lot about others, right? Wow, how complex,' Haruka said. 'You miss being in the 12__th__ division, right?'_

'_I miss being an inventor and the system manager. I have no regrets about leaving the 12__th__ division if I was only to be a lab rat. Or a guinea pig…' Kazane sighed._

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_Flash Back…_

'_Alright, the camouflage cape works right?' Urahara looked around. He saw no one in the vicinity. 'Wow, it works really well, huh?'_

_Kazane pulled off the cape angrily. 'Just how many of your inventions am I gonna test out! We've been at this for 10 hours!' _

'_Hmm, we still got another 50 or so to go. Hang in there until then, Hiroshi,' Urahara picked up another weird invention. 'This is a headgear designed to prevent attacks laced with reiatsu. Try it on.'_

'_Wait, did you say prevent attacks laced with reiatsu. But there's no way to prevent attacks if they are headed directly towards you unless you do something physically,' Kazane wondered out loud._

_Urahara grinned. 'I never said to dodge attacks, Hiroshi. I just said to prevent attacks laced with reiatsu.'_

_Kazane's faced dawned with realization and anger. 'When you say that, do you mean that you will only get rid of the reiatsu but not the attack? I'm supposed to let you hit me?' Kazane's face twitched angrily._

'_Correct! I'm glad you caught on so fast! The headgear eliminates reiatsu at a 5 feet radius,' Urahara said cheerily. 'Now put it on so that we can finish this soon!'_

_Kazane sighed. '_I know I'm supposed to listen to those who ranked higher than me, but this is insane…'

'_Hiroshi, come on, we don't have all day,' Urahara walked to the end of the room._

'_Okay,' Kazane fastened the headgear. She suddenly realized that he was in front of her, his fist nearly a foot away from her head._

_BOOM! The wall behind her shattered. A cloud of dust floated up and obscured their view._

'_Hiroshi? Hiroshi Kazane?' Urahara called. The dust settled and he saw Kazane lying on top of the rubble. Her head was bleeding from the attack. Urahara pulled her up and examined her wound._

'_Oww… that headgear did no shit!' Kazane cursed softly. 'Thank god I used my reiatsu to shield most of the attack…'_

'_Hmm…. That didn't work at all. That makes it the 20__th__ failed invention in this lot. Let me see… ah, it was done by Hiyori, that's why…' Urahara tossed the headgear aside and picked up another headgear. 'Try this one too. It's made by Hiyori too. It's supposed to repel attacks made of reiatsu alone…'_

_Kazane sighed again and put it on. The attack came quickly and as expected, the headgear was a dud. _

'_Oww… Why is it that all the inventions by Sarugaki-fukutaicho are either duds or substandard? And I always ended up getting hurt in the process,' Kazane tossed the headgear aside, prodded the wound and hissed in pain. The wound was bleeding badly and her left eye was swollen._

_Urahara tutted. 'Hiyori needs to work on her invention skills. That's the 21__st__ invention that is a dud.' Urahara looked up and saw the huge wound on her head. 'Can you still go on? Head wounds are not serious. They just bleed more than other wounds.'_

'Yeah, but this one is making a mess out of everywhere. Don't forget that you still have cleaning duty today. Blood is very hard to clean,' Haruka reminded Kazane.

'Oh yeah… I'm not sleeping again tonight, I guess…' Kazane groaned inwardly.

'Wait, you're still going on?'

'Yeah. If I put this off any longer, there'll be more tomorrow. Knowing our fukutaicho, she'll probably cook up more of her useless inventions,' _Kazane wiped the wound clean with her handkerchief. 'I'm okay. I think I'll survive a few more of Sarugaki-fukutaicho's useless inventions.'_

_Urahara laughed. 'Alright. Try this one; it's another of Hiyori's possible failed inventions.'_

_Somewhere in the 12__th__ division dorms, Sarugaki Hiyori sneezed twice. 'Someone must be talking about me…'_

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Present time… somewhere in a forest…

'I still hate being a guinea pig for Sarugaki-san's lousy attempts at inventing. I still have some scars courtesy of Sarugaki Hiyori,' Kazane examined a few scars on her arm.

'_But you had fun, no?' Haruka said._

'_To an extent, yes. But I still prefer being the system manager. My operating system, Aries, was the best OS that time,' _Kazane smiled with pride. _'I wonder if they're still using it, which gives me an idea…'_

'_Oh? The little worm you made when you found out that Aries had a small flaw?' Haruka grinned maliciously. 'Or the patch you made to cover up that hole without leaving any traces?'_

'_Both actually. I have no intention of leaving a flaw in my OS. My worm, though, will have to go into the main system too. That's for blackmail purpose, only,' _Kazane thought about her plan.

'_I wonder how Mayuri will react when he finds the ultimate worm, AriesDIE, in the main system. You don't have any plans to really use it, do you?' Haruka said suspiciously._

'_You know that as well as I do. If the need arises, I will push the button to activate AriesDIE without hesitation, especially if Aizen has been sifting through the information in Central 46.'_

'_Your laptop is connected to Aries as well. If you use the worm, your laptop will be affected as well. Well, that is unless you have a special device to prevent that from happening?'_

'_Haruka, my worm won't be considered the ultimate worm if there is a way to stop it. That's why I installed a backup system, Capricorn, in case I ever activate AriesDIE,' _Kazane stopped in her tracks. She stood still and listened carefully. 'Ishida-san… could it be that he is training here too?'

'_He's really hardworking. Because he lost to a shinigami, he wants to train so that he can win them,' Haruka sighed. 'But his naiveté will cost him. A mere Quincy without his full powers cannot hope to win a captain of the Gotei 13.'_

'_I wonder…' _Kazane turned and headed back.

'_Where're we going?'_

'_Somewhere else to train. I know of another waterfall in the area.'_

'_Why though?'_

'_He's probably doing some sort of secret training. We should not disturb him. We need to respect others privacy,' _Kazane flash-stepped to another place.

'_Wow, you can flash-step while in a gigai!' Haruka said, surprised._

'_I've been practicing; though being in shinigami form is much more comfortable. Let's get to work!' _Kazane took out a candy dispenser and pooped a pill into her mouth. Her soul separated from the gigai and she was in her usual shinigami attire. She took off the blue silk scarf and dropped it on a rock beside the waterfall_._

'_You're not wearing your favourite scarf?'_

'_I want to get rid of distractions. Besides, the scarf may get in the way,_' Kazane tied her hair in a bun.

_Haruka understood. After all, that scarf had been given to Kazane by her former fiancée. It would naturally remind her of the noble. 'Let's get to work!'_

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'_Concentrate more… you haven't been practicing much so you're a bit out of shape…' Haruka guided Kazane patiently._

Kazane concentrated withal her might and her scythe became a long water dragon. It slashed through the trees and tore them into pieces.

'_Good. Now try turning it into ice…'_

Kazane breathed heavily and poured her reiatsu into the dragon. It froze and became an even longer ice dragon. Kazane opened her eyes and used her hand to guide it around. It left an icy trail around as it flew in the air.

'_Very good. Can you still keep going? We'll move on to your Bankai now.'_

'Haruka… if possible, I'd like to refrain from using Bankai in Soul Society. My Bankai… I wish to keep it a secret for now,' Kazane said.

'_That's not the case, isn't it?'_

'Huh?'

'_The reason why you don't want to use your Bankai is because you killed your instructor with it, right? Unohana Reiyuu… the younger sister of Unohana Retsu… the victim of your unstable Bankai. You still blame yourself for it, even though it has happened over 100 years ago.'_

'How can I not? I killed the sister of the kind and gentle Unohana-taicho. I killed my teacher who was the one of the few people I could relate to. How can I not blame myself?' Kazane shouted. Her tears clouded her eyes.

'_It was not your fault Reiyuu died. Your Bankai was destructive when unstable_._ There was nothing you could do about it. Your reiatsu was too strong for you to control then. Reiyuu understood the dangerous situation she placed herself in; she was prepared to die!' Haruka said._

'The more you say that, the worse I feel. Unohana Reiyuu understood the situation, yet why did she agree to help me? Didn't she know that I'll be in terrible pain if I killed someone I loved dearly?' Kazane argued through her tears. 'She anticipated that I would kill her… in the process…'

'_Reiyuu just wanted to fulfill your utmost dream at that point of time,' Haruka said softly. _Kazane froze.

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_Flash back… around 140 years ago… (That makes Kazane 13)_

'_Unohana-dono, please meet my daughter, Kazane. She's very intelligent,' Kazane's mother showed the woman in front of her Kazane. Kazane looked up at the woman and looked at her from head to toe. The lady was obviously of a high-classed family as she was wearing high-end clothes. Somehow, though, she seemed uncomfortable with the formality. Her short black hair pulled back with a piece of rope was slightly messy, as if she had done it without much care. Her hands were calloused, like they've been handling rough work for centuries. She was totally unlike a typical aristocrat._

'_Hello, my name is Hirako Kazane. It's nice to meet you,' Kazane bowed respectfully. 'I hope I can become of your disciples.'_

'_Hm? Is that so? Hirako-dono, may I borrow her for a few days to give her a test?' Unohana Reiyuu twirled a stray lock of hair around her finger. 'I want to make sure I have a good apprentice, not a lousy incompetent piece of junk.'_

_Kazane and her mother winced at the crude use of language. Her mother recovered from her temporary shock and said, 'Sure, you can have her as long as you wish. I hope she will attain good results.'_

'_Oy, get up. We're going,' Reiyuu got up like an elephant and made toward the door. Kazane followed suit, except that she got up in a much elegant manner for a noble. Reiyuu's pace was long and quick, so Kazane had to jog to keep up._

'_Kazane! Walk properly!' her mother said in a disgusted tone. Kazane cringed and did as she was told._

_Once they were out of the Hirako mansion, Reiyuu turned to face her. 'You are expected to be a noble in every way, from walking to sleeping. However, when you're with me, you can cease formalities. Call me Reiyuu, Kazane.'_

'_Um…' Kazane paused for a while. _

'_Yes?' Reiyuu asked sharply._

'_Should I call you Reiyuu-sensei, Reiyuu-shinsou or Reiyuu-dono?' Kazane lifted a finger to her lips._

_Reiyuu looked at her for a moment before chuckling, 'Just Reiyuu will do, Kazane. But if you must, you can call me Reiyuu-shinsou.'_

'_Reiyuu-shinsou,' Kazane smiled brightly. Reiyuu blushed and started hyperventilating. Kazane looked at her in amazement. 'Is something wrong, Reiyuu-shinsou?'_

_Reiyuu struggled to regain her composure. 'I'm… I'm alright, Kazane. Let's go.' Reiyuu walked forward in her usual quick and long steps. Kazane jogged to keep up._

'_Reiyuu-shinsou, where are we going?' Kazane asked._

'_To a place where no one will bother us. I must warn you, that my training is quite hard. You may not be able to live through the first 5 days,' Reiyuu said. She looked back and examined her young charge's face. 'Are you ready for it?'_

'_I'll do what I can. Okaa-sama really wants me to have you as my teacher so I can't let her down. I…too… wish to become your student,' Kazane said with determined eyes that unwavered._

'_Yosh, let's do this!' Reiyuu punched the air. Kazane giggled but followed suit._

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_For the next few days, Kazane trained with Reiyuu, doing many forms of training. She would wake up at 5 in the morning and run around the field surrounding Reiyuu's house with numerous weights until sunrise. Then she would proceed to memorise literature until Reiyuu decided it was time to get up and train her student. From then until sundown, Kazane would learn to fight –Reiyuu's style- with weights tied around her body. Reiyuu would then question her about what she memorised in the morning, everything from important facts to the messy stains located inside the book. For every mistake she made, an extra weight would be added to her body as well as a hard swipe on the hand. When Reiyuu finally went to bed and was sound asleep, Kazane would sneak out and practice flash-steps on her own._

_By the 7__th__ day, Kazane was able to last 10 minutes against her own teacher when sparring. On the 10__th__ day, Kazane had mastered the flash-steps. On the 11th day, Kazane could recited three thick books of literature without a single mistake, and could quickly point out each and every stain in the book but Reiyuu continued adding weights to her anyways. Finally, on the 14__th__ day, Kazane finally fainted from exhaustion. A total of 1000 pounds (roughly 450kg) had been added to her body. Kazane was strong enough, physically, to take on a few dozens of bandits without much of a problem. That was tested on the 13__th__ night, when Reiyuu brought Kazane to town to test her strength. _

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_Reiyuu entered the room where Kazane was resting peacefully. The next day, she and Kazane would return to the Hirako mansion where Reiyuu would finally move in as an in-house teacher. She had contacted her mother yesterday and informed her of Kazane's performance._

_Reiyuu stroked Kazane's forehead. Purplish bags were clear on her pale skin. She had obviously been practicing flash-steps so much in the night that she neglected her sleep. Reiyuu sighed and leaned back on her chair. She spoke to Kazane, despite her unawareness, in a quiet and gentle manner, 'You did well the past 14 days. Actually, you passed the test when you reached the 5-day mark. I only kept you at it to see how long you could last. Honestly, I never knew you would practice flash-steps on your own in the night. I'm not such a heavy sleeper, though I appear to be one. You need to sharpen up on your observational skills. Just memorizing books isn't enough. Alright! I've got your next training manual ready and planned!' Reiyuu punched the air. She held the pose for a while before dropping her hand beside her. 'You'll make a good shinigami, Kazane, just like my sister. Knowing your mother, she'll probably enroll you into the Shinigami Academy without a second thought. It's a pity you have a mother that only focuses on fame and fortune. You'll be another of her 'tools' to gain fame, I know it. That's why, to delay your suffering just for a while longer, I'll keep your powers a secret.' Reiyuu sighed._

'_Shinigamis are such ill-fated people…'_

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_Fast forward… 1 month before the death of Kazane's parents…_

'_Reiyuu-shinsou, I have a request to make,' Kazane said. She looked up from her assignment and looked at her teacher who was sitting on the porch, smoking._

'_Hm? What do you want to learn this time?' Reiyuu pulled the pipe out from her mouth and turned around._

'_I want to… learn Bankai,' Kazane said. Her eyes were as determined as when Reiyuu first met her. _

_Reiyuu paused, her pipe halfway into her mouth. 'What did you say?'_

'_I want to learn Bankai.'_

_Reiyuu's eyes held an unmistakable look of anger. 'Why do you want to learn Bankai for? You are strong, Kazane, stronger than most of the other students in the Academy! There's no need for you to learn Bankai! Have you gotten so caught up in your quest to get stronger that you want to learn Bankai?'_

'_It's not that, Reiyuu-shinsou. I have… finally found people I want to protect with all my life. You, Byakuya, Youruichi-dono, and my parents, you all mean so much to me. Before I met you guys, I was… I had nothing. I had nothing precious to me, nothing I want to protect. That's why, I want to learn Bankai. It's my greatest and foremost desire right now. I want to learn Bankai so that I can protect the ones I love truly,' Kazane put down her brush and folded her hands around her heart. 'Strength is not power. Power is merely something that helps you attain true strength. Power can sometimes, too, bring disaster upon the ones you love and yourself. Using all that you have to protect the ones you love despite the consequences, doing your best to make sure whatever you do does not hurt the people around you… there are so many things that I consider as strength. I do not consider power as strength though.'_

_Reiyuu looked at the young girl in amazement. She sighed in defeat and placed her pipe down. 'Alright. I'll prepare something to help you achieve Bankai in a short period of time. Then we can proceed to polish your skills in that area.'_

_Kazane looked relieved. She latched onto Reiyuu's arm and squealed. 'Thank you so much, Reiyuu-shinsou! I'll never forget this!'_

_Reiyuu ruffled Kazane's hair and laughed. 'Anything for my little apprentice's greatest desire!'_

'_Oh no, it looks like I'm intruding on something private,' someone said from a small distance away._

'_Onee-sama!' Reiyuu cried. She stood up and flash-stepped to her older sister._

'_Retsu-sensei!' Kazane hugged the lady. 'It's been a while!'_

'_Yes, it has been, Kazane-san. Reiyuu-san, how have you been?' Unohana Retsu said. 'Have your tuberculosis got better?'_

'_Nah, it didn't change one bit,' Reiyuu said off-handedly. _

'_It would help if you stopped smoking!' Retsu scolded once she saw the pipe Reiyuu tried to hide desperately. 'Honestly! If you don't pay more attention to your health, I'm affair you won't last much longer!'_

'_Kazane, could you give us some privacy-?' Reiyuu looked around for the girl. 'Hm? She's gone?'_

'_Very discreetly giving us some privacy, I see. She's good at this sort of stuff,' Retsu said. 'Now, will you tell me why you are neglecting your health?'_

'_I won't live much longer anyways, so I might as well enjoy what I have in my remaining time,' Reiyuu took out her pipe and lighted it again._

'_Don't!' Retsu pushed the pipe away. 'And stop saying things like that! You can surely live longer if you tried. Please, try, for everyone's sake!'_

'_I have to interest in living a life where I have to be restricted to things. I want to do what I want. I want to be free, like I've always been. I know my decision has cost you, causing our family to put all their expectations on you, but that's how I want to live my life,' Reiyuu lifted the pipe to her mouth and took a long breathe. 'I know I'm not gonna live much longer anyways. My fate has already been settled.'_

'_What do you mean?' Retsu's voice suddenly became very sharp._

'_I'm dedicating the rest of my remaining time to Kazane. I'm gonna help her achieve Bankai using my method. I've already decided, so don't try to stop me,' Reiyuu puffed out a cloud of smoke._

'_Why? That can well cost you your life!' Retsu tugged at Reiyuu's pipe, trying to pull the pipe away._

_Reiyuu recited Kazane's words to Retsu. 'I don't want her to become like me, powerful but without strength, nor a goal. That's the reason why I want to give my life to her. She has such a bright future, I know. She'll become great and most importantly, she'll be able to protect the ones she loves. I want to help her gain that kind of life,' Reiyuu easily overpowered Retsu and stuck the pipe back into her mouth. 'Don't worry. Once she has done Bankai once, the rest will be easy to do. Even if I die in the process, she'll be able to fulfill her greatest desire.'_

'_Reiyuu…' Retsu said hopelessly._

_Not far off, Kazane listened to the conversation while hiding behind the dense trees. Tears leaked out of her eyes and she rubbed them off angrily._

'What will you do? Your decision will cost your teacher her life,' Haruka said in the back of Kazane's head.

'I will achieve Bankai. No matter how long it would take, I will achieve it for sure. I will not let Reiyuu-shinsou's death be in vain –that is, if I kill her in the process.'

'Now that you've made your resolution, don't back off.'

'I understand.'

_End of flashback…_

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'Reiyuu-shinsou…' Kazane dropped to her knees and covered her eyes. 'I'm so sorry…. I… I'm so sorry, I've let you down.'

'_Now that you've made your resolution, don't back down. Do you hear me, Kazane? You will master your Bankai in these 10 days. Do not let Reiyuu down.'_

'I understand.' Kazane got up and said firmly, for Haruka as well as for herself.

_I won't let you down, Reiyuu-shinsou._

**I you're confused about anything, please ask! I'll be happy to answer any questions! Please review…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello readers! I updated a bit late, I know. I'm trying to make use of my remaining December holidays to get this story going but as you can see, I'm not getting on quite well. No!!!! I'll be busy the whole of next year too… expect updates to come much slower from now on. And a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Yohoho!**

Present time… Urahara Shoten…

'Hello? Urahara-san?' Kazane walked through the front door and looked around. She saw the secret trap door leading to the cavity under the shop open. 'Ah? They're still going at it? Ichigo should have completed the training some time ago…'

'Kazane-dono, would you like some tea?' Tessai came in and served Kazane a cup of tea.

'Is Urahara-san still doing the training session?' Kazane accepted the cup with a word of thanks. 'Ichigo's reiatsu flared quite a bit a few days ago. I thought they'll be done by now.'

'They're doing extra training right now. You may see them if you want,' Tessai lead her to the door. 'Here's the staircase…-?'

Kazane had placed down the now empty cup and jumped down. She landed on the floor gracefully.

'Kaza-chan! What are you doing here today?' Urahara asked while he expertly blocked Ichigo's attack. 'Aren't you training?'

'I was training my Bankai but I ended a bit earlier than I anticipated so I thought I might as well visit you to see how Ichigo is doing,' Kazane waved her hand around nonchalantly. She noticed Ichigo's new sword. 'Wow, is that your Shikai? Can I see?'

'Huh?' Ichigo turned his head to look at his foster sister. 'Sure but not now-!'

'Never turn your head away from the enemy!' Urahara whacked Ichigo on the head with the back of his sword.

'Ow! Damn you, Geta Boshi! What do you think you're doing?' Ichigo protested angrily.

'May I take over for a while? It looks like you need some rest, Urahara-san,' Kazane suddenly appeared behind Ichigo and grabbed his shoulder. She gave a creepy smile that sent shivers down the two men's spine. 'I am quite experienced in teaching young shinigami how to fight.'

'Sure, take your time. I want to get the gate ready soon, anyways,' Urahara walked away. 'Shout for me if Ichigo faints in your training, Kazane!'

'Alright!' Kazane waved. 'Now, let's get you going…'

Ichigo sensed a felling of dread wash over him. This training was going to be worse than Urahara's, it would seem.

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Ichigo and Kazane sat on the dusty floor, facing each other. Kazane had Ichigo's sword in her lap and was examining it.

'This is quite a unique sword, Ichigo. Did you ever try to transform it back into its sealed state?' Kazane ran a finger down the blade of the zanpakto.

'Huh? Sealed state? No, I never have. What's a sealed state, anyways?'

Kazane sweat dropped. 'You never heard of that before? Never mind, it's not helping you or handicapping you in anyway, I think. Although some shinigami may think you're some sort of idiot.' Kazane chuckled. She took out her zanpakto. 'This is my zanpakto's sealed state. Only I can release it.'

Ichigo stared. 'Your zanpakto is a… sword hilt? Doesn't it have a blade?'

'Nope.'

'Uhh… then how are you supposed to use it?' Ichigo had a confused look on his face. 'You can't cut anything with just a sword hilt.'

'That's precisely the case. Because it's bladeless, others cannot use my zanpakto. My zanpakto is only useful when it is released, so even if it lands in the hands of others, they can't use it at all,' Kazane stood up. 'This is to protect others, to ensure that my power does not land into the hands of others.' Kazane held out the hilt. 'Begin your icy reign, Haruka.' It transformed into the long scythe.

'Wow, so you can do it too,' Ichigo stared in awe. He suddenly grew suspicious. 'Hey, how do you know all this anyway?'

'I'm not a human, Ichigo. I am a shinigami. I have already died. The body I am in now is a gigai,' Kazane flicked back a strand of hair in her face. 'I have lived as a soul for 153 years.'

Ichigo stiffened. 'Wait, you're 153 years old?'

'Yes. Is there a problem?' Kazane's eyes were dark. Ichigo shook his head wildly. 'Alright. Take this.' Kazane produced a long piece of cloth from her clothes.

Ichigo took the cloth and stared at it hardly.

'Use it to wrap your sword. Don't unwrap it unless you really have to,' Kazane told him. 'It's true, that the zanpakto chooses its owner. However, the zanpakto doesn't choose how it is to be wielded. How the zanpakto is to be put to use lies in the owner. What is your zanpakto for, Ichigo? Is to fight, is it to kill? Or is it to protect? When you fight, you must have a goal in mind. If you enter Seireitei without a goal, going overboard and fighting whoever that happens to be in your way, killing them sometimes, then I will have to stop you. You cannot fight without a goal in mind. A fight without a goal cannot be won. So what is your goal, Ichigo?' Kazane leaned forward and asked.

Ichigo answered straight away. 'I want to protect Rukia. It's my fault she got arrested. I have to save her!'

Kazane smiled. 'Good, keep that in mind. Never stray from that reason. Now then, let's move on!' Kazane sealed her zanpakto. 'I'll help you train your senses, which you so dismally lack.'

'What?' Ichigo stomped his foot indignantly. 'I do not lack in my senses! Huh?'

Kazane had disappeared. Ichigo looked around anxiously. 'Hey, this isn't funny, Kazane. Come out!'

'This is your first task, Ichigo. Find me using whatever you have. Just don't destroy this place,' Kazane's voice came from everywhere.

'How the heck am I supposed to do that!' Ichigo yelled. 'You're invisible, for god's sake! How am I supposed to find someone who I can't see?'

'That's the purpose of your training. In Seireitei, a fair amount of people are accomplished in flash-steps. You may not always see where they're coming. That's why you have to rely on your senses to help you detect and predict where your enemy is. Look for my reiatsu, Ichigo. Close your eyes and concentrate.'

'Ichigo grumbled but did as he was told. After a really long while, he noticed a pulse of energy coming from a rock nearby. He jumped up and slashed the air with his sword.

'Ichigo!' Kazane said sharply. She had stopped Ichigo's attack with two fingers. A cloak lay forgotten on the floor before turning its colour and camouflaging itself on the ground.

Ichigo had a smug smile on his face. 'I did it, didn't I?'

Kazane had a displeased look on her face. 'No doubt that you have completed the task, despite taking nearly an hour to find my reiatsu which was flowing out in waves just behind you, but you used your sword to _attack_.'

'What difference does that make?' Ichigo said nonchalantly.

'A great deal. I only said find me using whatever you have, not find and attack me. You waved your sword around without any particular reason, straying from your quest. Such actions signify weakness, cowardice, and a lack of experience. Only weaklings wave their sword around like that,' Kazane pushed him off the rock.

'Whaaa!' Ichigo landed in a heap on the ground.

'Looks like I got a lot of work to do…' Kazane said to herself.

'_He's worse than your retainer who you kept as an apprentice,' Haruka chuckled. 'Hiroshi Ichiru, was it?'_

'_You're right. My first apprentice and retainer was much brighter than this strawberry,' Kazane sighed inwardly. 'I wonder if I can see him again… in Soul Society.'_

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Day to leave the human world… in Urahara Shoten…

Kazane grabbed her glove and stabbed it through herself. Her shinigami form came out of the gigai, which fell on the floor lifelessly. She adjusted her hakama and examined herself.

'Looking good, Kazane. I see your beauty has not waned…' Urahara said cheerily behind his fan.

Kazane's eyebrow twitched but she just replied, 'Thank you for the compliment…' Kazane dug through her pockets and pulled out the three communicators. She handed Urahara one silently.

'Am I supposed to wear… that?' Urahara asked, leaning away from the ear ring. It was clearly the communicator Kazane had made a few days ago but it was dyed pink and had little hearts stuck around it. 'Ew, your sense of style is horrible.'

Kazane chuckled. 'Just kidding. I'm taking this one. You have the one with blue fireball.' Kazane lifted another communicator up. Urahara silently accepted the ear ring and hooked it onto his hat.

'Pray no one notices…' he mumbled softly.

'Have you gathered them?' Kazane hooked her own ear ring on her ear. She walked behind the counter, picked up something and slipped it into her pocket. 'It's about time to go now…'

'Ah, they're here…' Urahara noted from behind his fan. He walked out to greet them. Kazane glanced outside and saw something written on the floor in what looked like blood. She chuckled.

'_Great… his sense of humor has improved…' Haruka said teasingly. 'He knows how to make jokes now…'_

'_Ha ha… if you think this looks like a message of someone who is about to die, you have no sense of humor… where did he learn that joke?' Kazane chuckled inwardly. 'Let's go, Fuyusuisei . Let's go confront the century old truth…'_

'_As you wish… *****' _**(A/N: Haruka is NOT cursing Kazane, if you're wondering. I'll explain the * later in the story. Note! I said STORY, not CHAPTER!)**

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In the Dangai…

'Whoah!' Ishida tripped and fell. The Kouryuu was slowly closing in.

CLANG! Kazane had released her zanpakto and blocked the Kouryuu from advancing any further. She shouted to them, 'Hurry up! I can only hold it off for a while so that you can pass through without interference!'

'Run!' Youruichi said as she sprinted towards the entrance. The rest followed her uneasily.

'**Be sure to make it back, Kazane,' **Youruichi said through the communicator.

'**Don't worry, I'll make it in time. The Kouryuu speeds up after being interfered with but I have faith that I can get out alive…' **Kazane replied back. **'Are you out yet?'**

'**Yes! Now hurry! The Dangai is about to close!' **

'**Have faith in me, Youruichi…' **there was a silence for a while.

'**Kazane!' **Youruichi growled.

'You called?' Kazane said from behind. Youruichi jumped.

'Whoah! Where did you come from?' Ichigo cried. 'Weren't you in that Dangai thing?'

'Yep, it closed right after you guys left it,' Kazane gave a 'V' sign.

'Impossible! There's no way you could have escaped in so little time!' Youruichi jumped and tried to scratch Kazane's face.

Kazane caught the little paw with one hand. 'I didn't!'

The group was stunned. Youruichi caught on first.

'You used a decoy… and flash-stepped out so that you can create a Kido net to prevent us from falling into Seireitei… Is that right?' Youruichi said in a low voice.

'Yep! Inflatable gigai!' Kazane showed them a weirdly shaped balloon. 'Bet you didn't notice! I took a few of these when I was in Urahara-san's shop! Oww!' Kazane clutched her left hand that had three bleeding scratches on it.

'All that worrying for nothing…' Youruichi grumbled. 'Anyway, we need to get into Seireitei now.'

'Alright! We just need to get over there right? Where the houses are nicer and such?' Ichigo pointed to the houses separated a bit away from Rukongai. 'Let's go!'

'Idiot! Don't go there, you can die!' Youruichi yelled.

'What-?' Ichigo looked up and saw a giant wall start to fall on him. 'Oh my god!'

BOOM! The wall landed, stirring up a great cloud of dust.

'Kurosaki-kun! Kazane-chan!' Inoue called. She peered closely as the dust cleared.

Ichigo and Kazane were lying sprawled on the ground with Kazane holding onto his collar. She breathed a sigh of relief. 'No broken bones or missing body parts. Safe! Except that…' She glanced up at the wall. 'Security is about to get really tight in there, now that Ichigo has triggered the alarm…'

Sure enough, a voice was heard. 'It's been so long since someone tried to get past without a pass. Finally, I have something to do.' A large shadow of a giant appeared over the two shinigamis lying on the floor. 'I'll treat you nice, kiddie and… Hime-sama?'

Kazane smiled sheepishly. 'It's been around 100 years, Jindanbou… How have you been?'

Jindanbou bowed deeply. 'It's an honor to meet you again. You are not considered an intruder to Seireitei, but I would advise you not to enter Seireitei without an inside escort.' Jindanbou lifted her up with a hand. 'I cannot allow you to take part in the fight to discipline these Ryoka. Please remain here for the time being.' He set her down on the roof of the nearest house.

Kazane complied without a complaint. Muttering a short 'Thank you', she took out her laptop and started typing furiously into it.

'Hey, is this really the time to be playing Maple story?' Ishida sweat dropped. He jumped when Jindanbou slammed an axe in to the ground. The ground was raised so that there was a wall in between Ichigo and the rest of the group.

'Be careful, Ichigo. That guy has been the gatekeeper of the West gate since 300 years ago,' Kazane said, looking up from her laptop. 'He's a formidable opponent.'

'Ichigo, come back! We'll form a plan,' Youruichi shouted. 'There's no way you can-'

'Youruichi-san,' Kazane said gently, causing Youruichi to pause to look up at her. 'Trust Ichigo. With the training I've given him, Jindanbou should prove no problem to him. Look, he's already raising his reiatsu to the appropriate level. He'll get through this fine.'

Youruichi grunted and leapt up to the roof Kazane was sitting on. 'Ow!'

'Keep quiet, Youruichi-san. It's not that painful,' Kazane chided gently. She fastened the communicator onto Youruichi's ear and patted her furry head. 'See? It's not that painful.'

'Ears are my sensitive areas. The ear ring is painful!' Youruichi yelped and tried to pull the accessory off. Kazane swiped her paws away. Youruichi grumbled angrily and sat down.

'If you don't want to have your ears tortured for the next 14 days or so, change,' Kazane advised as she typed on her laptop. 'Just remember to put on some clothes, though.'

'No, it's harder to maintain a low profile that way. Many people still recognize me as Shihoin Youruichi. I'll attract attention… a lot of attention…' Youruichi said.

'At least no one still remembers me as Hirako Kazane. I'm safe to move around as I wish. Plus with the shinigami get-up, I can pass off as a normal shinigami,' Kazane played with the end of her scarf. 'The only real problem is the captains. From what I gathered, Yama-jii, Unohana-taicho, Ukitake-taicho and Kyouraku-taicho are still captains. Oh, wait, Kenpachi is still a captain too… there's also Mayuri, Aizen, Ichimaru, Tousen, and of course, Soi Fon,' Kazane recited off.

'How did you know that?' Youruichi leaned towards her to see what's on the screen of her laptop. 'Holy cow! You're hack-mp!'

Kazane clamped a hand over Youruichi's mouth. 'Not so loud. Walls have ears too, you know.'

Youruichi reduced her voice to barely above a whisper. 'You're hacking into Central 46's main database? How?'

'They're still using the Aries OS. As Aries' creator, hacking into my own system is a cinch,' Kazane scanned through another page of documents. 'Hmm, it seems like the only captains that are not entirely aware of who we actually are… are a guy called Komamura and a kid called Hitsugaya Toushiro… I'm in a pinch. Almost everyone knows me.'

Youruichi noted that Kazane left out a certain noble-classed captain but didn't say anything about it. She knew well enough not to. 'What about the vice-captains?'

'Umm… There's Yachiru-chan… and the vice-captain of 1st division, but the rest are all new faces. Oh, wait! Shiba Kaien is the vice-captain of 13th division but he's… deceased?' Kazane let out a small gasp. Youruichi was startled too, upon hearing the piece of information.

The west gate was opened, causing Kazane and Youruichi to look up. Ichigo had defeated Jindanbou.

'Oi, Youruichi, Kazane, come on, let's go!' Ichigo gestured towards them. Youruichi shook her head and prepared to run after them.

'No, don't go!' Kazane suddenly said.

'Why? The gate's open and-' Ichigo felt a strong wave of reiatsu. 'Who the heck have such crazy power?'

'Ichimaru… Gin…' Kazane breathed out. She jumped down from the roof and ran to Ichigo.

'Everyone! Pull back right now!' Youruichi commandeered. 'Pull back or you'll lose your lives!'

'Indeed…' the fox-faced captain smiled. He released his zanpakto and shot it towards Ichigo.

'No!' Kazane cast a Kido barrier in front of Ichigo. The blade deflected and shot towards the sky. Kazane breathed heavily. 'No, you will not… take away another of my nakama!'

'Hiroshi Kazane, I didn't expect to see you here…' Ichimaru smiled. 'It has been –what?- 100 or so years?'

'You're still the same Ichimaru Gin of the 5th division, except that you are a captain now. Amazing, you made it to captaincy within 100 years. As expected of a genius,' Kazane managed a weak smile. 'You're still the same Ichimaru Gin that I won't hesitate to kill.'

'That's really cold, Kazane-chan! You never know…' Ichimaru pointed his zanpakto at them. 'Shoot him…'

'Begin your icy reign, Haruka!' Kazane's zanpakto released just in time to deflect the attack, but pushed them back until they were out of the gate. They slammed into Jindanbou and took him along with them.

'Bye, Kazane and the ryoka… I think we'll see each other really soon,' Ichimaru waved from underneath the closing gate.

'Oh gosh, Kurosaki-kun, Kazane-chan, are you alright?' Orihime asked. She gasped. 'Jindanbou-san's arm is…!'

'Jindanbou-san,' Kazane got up and examined the severed arm. 'Ichimaru's blade got his arm. He needs to have medical attention immediately.'

Orihime cast her shield and began healing Jindanbou's arm.

'Arigato… Orihime-chan…' Kazane thanked. Her zanpakto was still in its released state.

'Kurosaki Kazane, I have a few questions regarding your actual… identity,' Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose. 'It seems like you are a shinigami who is apt at all areas, yet you pose as a normal high-school girl. You also seem to have relationships with people in Soul Society and of course, Urahara Kisuke. May I ask why?'

Kazane turned to face him, her scythe gripped tightly in her hands. 'That's because… I'm a shinigami, not a human, and also because, I was the 4th seat of the 12th division 100 years ago. My name is Hiroshi Kazane and I have been dead for 153 years.'

The group, save Youruichi, gasped.

'Why are you so surprised? Is it because you have befriended a girl that has been dead for over a century ago?' Kazane smirked.

'A high-ranking member of the Gotei 13 is in our midst. What will you do?' Youruichi turned to them and asked.

'Ex-high ranking member of the Gotei 13,' Kazane corrected. 'I'm no longer, as you noticed, welcomed in Seireitei.'

'What's someone like you doing with us?' Ishida folded his arms.

'Nevertheless, I'll still be friends with you, Kazane-chan! It doesn't matter if you're a shinigami or a normal human being. You're Kazane!' Orihime smiled. Chad grunted in agreement.

'Yeah, it's no big deal. We all have our own problems and past. You're you, and that's what matters,' Ichigo placed a hand on Kazane's head and ruffled her hair.

Kazane looked a bit surprised but smiled brightly, 'Thank you… everyone. I'm glad to have known you all.'

Ichigo took one look at her brilliant smile and started hyperventilating. 'Must… stop… hyper… ventilating…! Sister's face is just too friggin' cute…'

'My, my, Ichi-nii, I never knew you had a weakness for these sort of stuff. I should smile more!' Kazane grinned. She looked around him and exclaimed, 'Ah, they've come out!'

All of them turned around and saw the people coming out of their houses. There were curious faces and surprised faces, but none of them seemed hostile.

'Hi everyone!' Kazane waved. The people saw her and their mood lightened. They hurried to greet her.

'Why is she so popular with these people?' Ichigo asked Youruichi. 'Does she know them?'

'You could say that. Kazane used to be a girl from Rukongai so she knows some of the souls here quite well. She was reputed for her intelligence and skilled fighting,' Youruichi paced around. 'Nothing has changed much since I last left Soul Society. That just makes things easier.'

'Huh?'

'Kazane, get out of that crowd so that we can see the elder over here,' Youruichi called.

'If you're asking about the elder, he's not here. You'll have to wait till sundown before you can see him,' one of the villagers said.

'Please… get… off… me… I… can't… breathe…' Kazane let out a strangled choke. The crowd around her immediately dispersed. She bent down, gasping for air. 'People get clingier as they age, it would seem.'

'Sorry, Hime-sama, it's been so long since we last saw you. Everyone's bound to get excited to see the famous and beautiful Jyuusan-hime,' a guy rubbed the back of his head. 'Your status isn't like before but everyone still refers to you as the heroic Jyuusan-hime.'

'13th princess?' Orihime asked, looking up from her healing.

'Yes. Kazane used to be the princess of one of the four great noble houses, but her clan was… well… They were found to be corrupted so they were taken down from the list of noble families,' Youruichi explained. 'Kazane was the 13th noble princess of that generation. Usually, she'll give her title, Jyuusan-hime, instead of her real name. That's why most of the people refer to her as Jyuusan-hime instead of Kazane.'

'I see,' Ishida jolted that down on his notebook.

'Where the hell did you get that from?' Ichigo shouted, pointing to the designer notebook and pen.

'I brought it along,' Ishida replied innocently.

'What the hell? Why are you carrying such useless junk around? It's no wonder why you nearly got killed in the Dangai! You were carrying too many stuff on you! Throw all those junk away!'

'No way! I paid a lot for these things,' Ishida protested.

'Throw them away or I'll do it for you!' Ichigo marched over.

'No!' Ishida ran away in the opposite direction. 'Never!'

'Come back here you coward! I'll personally burn those junk myself!' Ichigo sprinted after him.

'Get away from me!'

'Get back here you gay!'

'Who're you calling a gay?'

'You of course! Who else in this god-damn world is a gay?'

'Take that back!'

'Ha! If you can make me! I'm almost catching up to you!'

'No, get away! I won't let you touch my stuff!'

'Oh, just shut up, you two!' Kazane hollered. 'You're giving me a headache with all your nonsensical argument!' she picked up some rocks and hurled it towards them. The rocks landed on their heads with startling accuracy.

At the end of the day, both Ichigo and Ishida had bun-sized swellings on their heads.

**How was it? I tried to add some humor in the last part. Was it funny? My view of humor is quite different from others, so please tell me if you have any suggestions on how to improve them. RXR!**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Whew! I updated a bit faster this time. This may be the last chapter for this year, but who knows? Maybe I'll be able to write another chapter in the last few days of my school holidays. But don't get your hopes up, though. As the saying goes: Don't count you chicks before they hatch!**

Present time… Some house in Rukongai…

Kazane sat against the wall, her right leg brought to her chest and her left leg crossed under it. Her zanpakto was laid right beside her hand, which rested against her side. She gazed outside boredly, looking at Orihime who was still healing Jindanbou.

'Come in and sit. I want to discuss our plans for today and tomorrow,' Youruichi said. Ichigo and the rest, excluding Orihime, came in and sat down beside the fire. Youruichi continued, 'Once the gate has been open, security would increase dramatically behind it.'

'Then we won't be able to fight the guardians for passage anymore?' Ishida asked.

'Fighting Jindanbou was never the best idea, Ishida-san. We should be grateful that Ichigo made it out in one piece,' Kazane said from her position. 'The other gates are at least 10 days away. If you're thinking of walking to the other gates, forget it.'

'Then… how do we get in?' Ishida asked, slightly nervous.

'You seem to have something on your mind, Youruichi,' Kazane noted.

'The gate isn't the only way in. We'll just go in without using the gate,' Youruichi said.

'Without… using the gate?' the group chorused in unison. Kazane shook her head and smirked.

Youruichi turned to the Elder. 'Do you know where Shiba Kukaku is?'

The Elder gasped, 'Shiba… Kukaku?'

'In the past, the house used to be somewhere around here. However, since Shiba is a drifter, there's a chance that she might have moved elsewhere,' Youruichi said.

'Can it be… that you plan to get into Seireitei using… THAT?' The Elder's eyes were big.

'Using what?' Ichigo asked.

'Ahh…' Someone through the door.

'Someone broke in! Who's that?' Shouts were heard throughout the house.

'Is that… a pig?' Kazane's eyebrow twitched. 'Eww, you were actually riding on that?'

'Ah, I fell off the boar again,' the man got up and struck a pose. 'Yo, old man. Long time no see.'

'Ganju! What are you doing here? Go home!' The Elder said.

'What? I haven't seen you in a while and you're already kicking me out? Don't scare the guests! Look, you're already freaking them out!' Ganju waved his hands nonchalantly.

'You're the one that's scaring them!'

'Wait…' Ganju's eyes landed on Ichigo. 'Hey… what's a shinigami doing here?'

'Huh? What're you staring at?' Ichigo said as he got up.

'Hey, I asked you a question. What's a shinigami like you doing in a place like this?' Ganju grabbed Ichigo's hakama and pulled him up close.

PUNCH! Ichigo threw his fist at Ganju's jaw and knocked him away. Ganju flew 10 feet away.

'Ow! What do you think you're doing? Do you want to pick a fight with me?' Ganju roared, clutching his broken nose. He looked around and saw Kazane still sitting on the floor. 'Hey! There's another shinigami punk in here!' Ganju stormed to her and grabbed her by the collar. 'Oh, this time it's a girly shinigami. Hey, you aren't deaf, are you? Answer me, what's a shinigami like you doing here?'

SMACK! Kazane slapped him with her left hand. Her face was twitching, 'Watch who you're talking to, Shiba Ganju. And get your face out of mine!'

'Ganju… I suggest you don't do anything to her. She's the-' The Elder tried to reason with the enraged man.

'I don't care who she is! A shinigami is a shinigami! There's no difference between them!' Ganju protested.

'No difference between all shinigami, huh?' Kazane's eyes had a dark glint. 'Alright then, I'll fight you without using my shinigami powers! Let's take this outside.'

'Alright!' Ganju smirked.

'Kazane! What are you doing?' Youruichi asked. 'Isn't it best to conserve your energy for later?'

'This will only take a while… don't worry, I won't hurt him… much…' Kazane grinned and walked out of the hut. Her zanpakto was at her waist, but she didn't make any move to draw it. She faced the man and said, 'First person on the ground is the loser.'

'Fine by me,' Ganju shrugged. 'Hey, where are you?'

'Right here,' Kazane said from a tree branch. She jumped and landed on the ground like a cat, charging at the man. 'Get ready or you'll die.' She kicked him in the stomach and slammed the heel of her hand to Ganju's jaw. He stumbled backwards, clutching his bleeding face. In a flash, Kazane was right in front of him. She stabbed him with her hand, knocking him off balance.

'I. Win.' Kazane said tauntingly.

Ganju growled, 'It's not over yet!'

KICK! Kazane kicked him in the face… hard. She said boredly, 'You're boring, not much of a fight. Bt the way, shouldn't you be home by now?'

'Oh shoot! It's almost 9! I have to go!' Ganju whistled for his boar. 'We'll settle this tomorrow.'

'Yeah, yeah, we'll meet again tomorrow,' Kazane gave a small wave. 'In your sister's house.'

'Kazane! That was cool! Can you teach me how to do that?' Orihime squealed excitedly.

Kazane sweat dropped. 'So much enthusiasm… ah, she collapsed!'

'Inoue!' Ichigo caught her lightly. 'She's exhausted. It's hard to believe she was so excited just now…'

'You bring Orihime-chan to rest. I'll finish the healing job,' Kazane rolled up the sleeves of her hakama. She walked to Jindanbou and knelt down. Placing a hand to the almost healed cut, she did a healing Kido spell and treated his wounds.

'We'll be leaving him to you, Kazane,' Youruichi nodded and said. 'Come on, that Orihime girl needs some rest. We'll set out tomorrow, first thing in the morning.'

Jindanbou and Kazane were all alone now. Kazane looked at the giant laying in front of her. 'I hope you'll forgive me for roping you into this. It's my fault you nearly lost an arm.'

Jindanbou opened his eyes. 'I never blamed you for anything, Jyuusan-hime. Back then, when I first met you, you were still a noble. Nevertheless, you were kind-hearted and caring, despite your cold appearance. When you met your fiancée, you started to warm up and I was happy for you. When you fell from the ranks of the nobles, you still remained kind at heart. You would confront anyone who was being unfair to others, shinigami or normal souls. I like you for that. When I was the gate keeper and was often lonely, you would sneak out to see me and keep me company, even though it was against the rules. I can't blame you for anything, Hime-sama. I'm in your debt.'

'I see. Then in that case, may I talk to you for a while. My feelings are in a mess and I need someone to talk to,' Kazane said softly.

'Let's hear it…' Jindanbou replied in an equally quiet voice, which one may think impossible for a man of his size.

'You do know my ex-fiancée, Kuchiki Byakuya, do you?' Kazane received a nod. 'He's… not the same noble I knew many, many years ago. He's turned… I don't know… He doesn't think of me anymore. It hurts to think that the man I love the most doesn't acknowledge me anymore. I still can't stop thinking of him. My heart still loves him deeply; it always has. The years of separation did not weaken my love for him. But… part of me is glad that he has the strength to move on. He's forgotten the past and moved on. He no longer suffers the pain of separation. I want to feel happy for him…'

Jindanbou looked at the small girl beside him who was carefully healing his arm. 'Do you know what I think? I think you should just be yourself. You may have many titles, but in the end, you're still the same person, with the same persona. Others may know you as Jyuusan-hime, Tensai Hiroshi or any other worthless titles, but those are not you, the actual you. The real you is right there,' Jindanbou pointed to her heart. 'There's no wrong in being you. You are no longer bound to anything. You are free to be the one who you truly are. That's why… you should just act how your heart feels. If you want to feel jealous and happy at the same time, then do it. That's the real you and you have the right to be like that.'

'Kazane looked at him with amazed eyes. 'Since when did you have a PhD in emotional support?'

'Uh, what's a PhD?' Jindanbou had a confused face on.

Kazane sweat dropped. 'I forgot… you died nearly half a millennium ago. There's no way you could have know about the latest form of education unless you went to the real world… Never mind. Thank you for your advice, Jindanbou. I feel much better now.'

Jindanbou smiled. 'It's cold at night and you have a long journey tomorrow. Get some rest. I'll be fine here by myself.'

'But your arm…' Kazane looked reluctant.

'It's pretty much healed right now. It just needs a few more days to get better. Don't worry about me.'

'I… see…' Kazane got up and picked up some bandages on the floor. 'In that case, I'll just bandage up your wound and go to bed. Be sure not to aggravate it.'

'Hai, Hiroshi-sensei,' Jindanbou said in a teasing manner.

'Did you know that I wanted to get into the 4th division at first?' Kazane told him as she wrapped the bandages around his arm.

'Why?'

'Otou-sama was gravely ill at that time. It was due to his past illnesses when he was a human. The illnesses plagued him even after death. I wanted to become a healer so that I could treat his illnesses. But then, I heard about the Research and Development centre being set up and I thought to myself, _Instead of becoming a healer whose powers are limited, why not become a researcher to find out more about the horrible fates of the unfortunate and spare others from the pain and suffering?'_

'That was a noble thought, Jyuusan-hime.'

'Duh, I was a noble at that time,' Kazane giggled. 'The 12th division just went under a major change, so they were focused mainly on inventions. I found my talent in computers and was highly successful in it. But I didn't stay in the 12th division long enough to be able to fulfill my wish.'

'The 12th Division is different without Urahara there,' Jindanbou told her, sitting up.

'Yes, that was expected with Mayuri as the new president. I knew he would turn the 12th Division into a weird Division, but I know that he'll never do something that would potentially harm the future of science. That was what the Division was set up for: the future of science. We, the souls who have ample time on our hands, would be able to take science to the next step. It was all for science, nothing else. Even now, I doubt the ideals have changed,' Kazane muttered as she tied up the bandages. 'I'll go now. Please rest.'

Jindanbou watched her retreating figure. _If I could, I would wish that I could take away all the burdens on her. Even though she is no longer a noble, she's bounded deeply to the past. The pressure of it all is almost too hard for her to bear. I don't know why she just won't let the burden go away. She can clearly move on. Her internal strength is far greater than that of Kuchiki Byakuya-taicho._

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Next day… Rukongai…

'When the wound is healed, be sure to do light exercises to regain mobility of your arm. If you don't, you may not be able to move your hand properly again. But don't strain it. You may burst a blood vessel or two…' Kazane examined Jindanbou's shoulder. She prodded it gently, looking up to see his reaction. 'If it hurts, you can always say so.'

'IT HURTS!' Jindanbou yelled. A few birds in the trees nearby took flight. Kazane covered her ears and winced.

'I… see… Take a good rest then, Jindanbou,' Kazane got up and prepared to leave.

'SORRY, I OVERSLEPT!' Orihime shouted, coming outside in a rush. 'Sorry, I was just too tired and I couldn't wake up…'

'It's alright, you worked very hard yesterday. You deserved the rest,' Kazane assured. 'I've already taken care of Jindanbou, so don't worry.'

'Right,' Orihime rubbed the back of her head. 'Are we going now?'

'Yes, once we got the map to Shiba-san's place,' Kazane told her. 'It shouldn't be far. We can get there on foot by noon.'

'Kazane-chan?' Orihime scrutinized Kazane's face.

'Y-yes?' Kazane followed Orihime's eyes cautiously.

'You seem different today. Somehow, you seem more… ease at heart. Ah, I don't know what I'm saying! Forgive me,' Orihime bowed.

Kazane smiled. _'Am I really that different?'_

'_Yep, the weather in here is beautiful. Your heart is at ease now and I can feel it.' Haruka took a deep breath and exhaled._

'_Hmph, maybe that oaf is useful sometimes,' Shiroi snorted._

'_Shiroi-hime! Please, watch your mouth!' Haruka scolded, scandalized. 'That sort of behavior is not acceptable!'_

'_Yeah, yeah, whatever…' Shiroi said uninterestedly._

'_Shiroi…' Haruka was a bit angry now._

'_Yikes! I better go now!' Her voice disappeared quickly._

'_Everyone's… all trying their best. I'll do my best too,' Kazane thought._

'_Kazane,' Haruka said gently. 'Remember that we're always here for you. If you're afraid to face the past, we'll do it with you. You're not alone. You never will be.'_

'_Thank you…' _Kazane smiled and walked forward._ 'The new chapter begins…'_

**Muahaha! That's the end of the chapter! No, I'm just kidding. There's still a bit more to go. Sit back and enjoy!**

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Somewhere in Rukongai… Shiba Kukaku's house…

'Uh, it looks like Shiba-san's taste hasn't changed much,' Kazane stared at the… weird house with two gigantic arms and a ridiculously long chimney. 'The arms are ridiculous.'

'You can notice it at a glance, right?' Youruichi said.

'How can you not? That entire 'living in a quiet place' thing must be a lie! He'll probably be kicked out of the village for having a house like that!' Ichigo protested out loud.

'I hate to say this, but I agree with you, Kurosaki,' Ishida pushed up his glasses.

'It's human arms this time,' Kazane noticed. 'That's a real change.'

'Human… hands? It's different each time?' Ichigo wondered out loud. '

'I so don't want to be seen walking into that house. I'm glad it's in the middle of nowhere,' Ishida said.

'Anyway, let's go,' Ichigo started to march towards the house.

'Hold it!' Two insanely large men appeared and blocked their path. 'Who are you? Your clothes are strange, and two of you look like shinigamis!'

'Such suspicious people,' they said. 'We will not let you past! Get out or you'll die here.'

'Che, why is there guards everywhere. Soul Society is such a troublesome place,' Ichigo placed his hand on his zanpakto, ready to draw it.

'Ichigo,' Kazane slapped his hand away. 'Fighting doesn't solve things. You need to use your brain more often or your brain cells will rot.'

'I second that,' Youruichi said as she walked to the front of the group.

'Youruichi-dono! Jyuusan-hime!' they gasped in unison.

'Yo!' Kazane waved. 'Long time no see!'

'I'm so sorry. I didn't expect our master's two most favourite guests to be with these people. I'm sorry, Youruichi-dono, Jyuusan-hime,' one of the guards apologized as he led them down the stairs. 'Please wait here for a moment.'

'What is it, Koganehiko?' Someone from the other end of the door called.

'You have two important and rare guests,' he replied.

'Then hurry up and open the door!' came the irritated voice.

'Yes!' he hurriedly opened the sliding door. He opened the door to reveal a very… attractive (?) woman sitting on the floor.

'Yo! Long time no see, Youruichi! I see you're here too, Kazane!' Kukaku greeted.

'Ku-Kukaku is a girl?' the group, save Youruichi and Kazane, exclaimed.

'Hm? Who are these kids?' Kukaku noticed the assorted teenagers standing at the doorway. 'Are they your boyfriends, Kazane-chan?'

Kazane's eyebrows twitched. 'No, they're not. We came to ask you for a favour.'

'Oh? I thought so. Isn't it the same every time you come over?' Kukaku said. 'Is it complicated?'

'I think so,' Youruichi replied.

'Scrape that. It's either we live or we die,' Kazane said.

Kukaku looked at them for a moment. 'Ha, it's been so long since we had this kind of conversation. Okay, tell me. I love complicated stuff.'

**A while later…**

'I see,' Kukaku placed down her pipe. 'I think I understand… Alright, I'll accept this job.'

'Really?' Youruichi said.

'Yep. Since Urahara is in this, I can't really refuse. And since it's Kazane-chan, the heroic and smart Jyuusan-hime asking, all the more I can't turn you guys down. However… even though I trust you both, I don't really trust those kids with you. I'll be sending one of my men with you just in case. No objections?'

'Oh course not,' Youruichi said.

'Your little brother I suppose,' Kazane folded her arms.

'Yeah. Even though he's just a punk, he's still not good enough for my standards. Is something wrong?' Kukaku looked at her, with her hand on the door, preparing to open it.

'No, it's just that your brother… Never mind…' Kazane sighed and shook her head.

'Oi! Are you ready?' Kukaku called. 'I'm opening the door. Be courteous.'

'G-got it, Onee-sama.'

Kukaku opened the door and revealed her little brother, who was bowing and had a ridiculous smile on his face.

'Hello, everyone! My name is Shiba Ganju! Nice to meet you!' Ganju had a forced smile on his face.

There was a silence in the room. Everyone stared at the new arrival.

'Isn't he the idiot that was in the village yesterday?' Ishida asked Orihime.

'Maybe, they look the same. But the personalities are worlds apart. He could be that idiot's twin,' Orihime pondered.

'That smile is sending shivers up my spine,' Chad stated.

'No doubt. I'm getting the chills too,' Ichigo rubbed his arms.

'I'm betting that a fight between Ichigo and Ganju will break out,' Kazane told Youruichi.

'I'm betting you and Ganju will have a fight. I win and you teach me how to hack into computers,' Youruichi raised a paw.

'If I win, you have to teach me more of your flash-step moves,' Kazane lifted a hand to the paw.

'Deal,' they shook hands (paws?) and said in unison.

'Ahhhhhhhhh!' Ichigo and Ganju shouted in unison. 'You!'

'What? Do you two know each other?' Kukaku was confused.

A fight broke out between those two. They brawled on the floor, rolling about and using underhand means to hurt the enemy.

'I win,' Kazane smirked.

'Ah, I lost. But I don't understand. Those two only met each other yesterday and his attention was mostly directed towards you. Why did he attack Ichigo and not you?' Youruichi sighed.

'Like poles repel,' Kazane answered her simply. 'I'm betting that Kukaku will threaten Ichigo and then act as if everything had never happened.'

'Deal,' Youruichi shook hands again. 'I'm winning this one.'

'The price is the same then?' Kazane said.

'Sure,' Youruichi nodded.

'Stop it, you two!' Kukaku punched Ichigo and Ganju on the head. The people in the room gaped. 'What's the matter with you two? You started fighting the moment you saw each other!'

'Jumping out of nowhere without warning… like brother, like sister, I guess,' Ichigo muttered angrily.

'But onee-sama, he was the one that started- Ow!'

Kukaku kicked Ganju… very hard. She then rounded on Ichigo and grabbed his head. 'Hey, punk! This is my house! If you don't like the way I run things, you can get the hell out!'

'Uh, okay,' Ichigo said, scared.

'Okay, as long as you get the idea,' Kukaku let go of his head.

'Damn, I have to teach you my secret technique for losing that bet!' Youruichi slammed a paw on the floor.

'Kukaku-san is prone to sudden mood changes, Youruichi. I bet you already know that well enough,' Kazane smiled, proud of herself. 'What's more… Ichigo looks like someone…'

Youruichi looked up and examined Ichigo's face. 'Indeed, there's a resemblance.'

'I told you,' Kazane fanned herself with a fan produced out of nowhere.

'Alright everyone, follow me!' Kukaku marched to the door. The group followed her, walking along the brightly lit corridor.

'There's no electrical wiring but it's so bright down here,' Ishida noticed.

'I planted some light vines between the walls and the ceiling,' Kukaku told him.

'Light vines? Is that some sort of special plant in Soul Society?' Ishida asked.

'We're here! Ganju, open the door!' Kukaku yelled, completely ignoring Ishida's question.

Ishida sweat dropped. Kazane sniggered and said, 'Light vines are a special type of plants that were developed in the 12th Division labs. I oversaw their development myself.'

'Is that so? Then can you give me more details?' Ishida scrambled for his notebook. When he finally retrieved it, she was already gone. Ishida was stumped.

'Wow, your… chimney is as magnificent as ever,' Kazane praised. 'Is it exactly 231.559 feet tall, 21.3345 feet wide?'

'Yes. The ultimate weapon for breaking into Seireitei is right before your eyes,' Kukaku turned to them. 'I'll be using this to send you guys to Seireitei, through the sky.'

'THE SKY?' they gasped.

'Yes! I'm Shiba Kukaku, the best fireworks maker in this area!' Kukaku announced proudly.

'Fireworks maker?' Ichigo repeated.

'That's right!' Kukaku said. 'Koganehiko! Shiruganehiko! Pull us up!'

The platform began to rise slowly. The ceiling opened and they rose to the surface. They were greeted by sunlight.

'So? What do you think, kids? Amazed? This is my personal fireworks station!' Kukaku told them.

'Kukaku Cannon!' Ganju added.

'Who said you could come up here, you idiot!' Kukaku kicked Ganju away.

'This is no time to be joking around! I don't care if you're a firework technician or what! It's impossible!' Ishida protested loudly. 'We'll die for sure!'

PLONK! A round, spherical object bounced off Ishida's head and into Ichigo's hands. Ichigo stared at it for a long moment. 'What's this?'

'It's a Reisyukaku. Hold it and give it some of your reiatsu,' Kukaku instructed.

Ichigo kept staring at it. 'Oi, how do I give it reiatsu?'

Kukaku was dumbfounded. 'You just focus your reiatsu on your palm like you do in Kido. Don't all shinigami know how to do Kido?' Kukaku made a small ball to show him.

'Ichigo isn't an officially trained shinigami. He's knows nothing about being a shinigami, except for fighting,' Kazane sighed. 'Just look at him, reiatsu if flowing out of him like a tap.'

'Che! There's no other way then. Ganju, show them!' Kukaku said irritably.

'Hand it over!' Ganju dived around, trying to snatch the ball away from Ichigo's arms.

'Like hell I'd give it to you!' Ichigo shouted.

'Punk, are you trying to pick a fight?'

'Yeah, like you could catch me! Come and get me if you dare!'

PUNCH! Kukaku punched them on the head. 'Behave yourselves!'

'S-sorry…'

Once Ganju recovered from the attack, he picked up the ball and looked as if he was constipating. 'Guuuuuuuuuuu!'

A sphere formed around him. The people gasped.

'This is the cannonball,' Kukaku announced. 'Listen up. If you think Seireitei is just guarded by wall, you're dead wrong. The walls are made of a special mineral that completely blocks out reiatsu. If you don't make a hole in the wall, you can't get in. Furthermore, this mineral releases a special energy wave from the cut surfaces. That is to say, both above and underneath Seireitei is protected by a spherical barrier. Therefore, if we just fly in bluntly, our bodies will dissolve into dust. That's why we need this!' Kukaku slammed a hand on the round ball around Ganju. 'My invention creates a specially hardened shell! By providing reiatsu to the Reisyukaku, you can create a cannonball strong enough to break through the barrier! I will use the Kukaku cannon to shoot you guys up into the air and break you in with one clean shot! Any questions?'

There was a silence. 'Uh…'

'Okay, meeting adjourned. Off to the training room you go!' Kukaku said. She added, 'You better train hard. If you can't do it by tomorrow, you'll be blasted into bits!'

'Hey! No one mentioned anything like that!'

'Okay, Ganju, you're done here. Go to the training room with them,' Kukaku dusted her hand and said to him.

'Onee-sama, are you really gonna help them? I don't care what you said to Onii-sama, but-'

'Ganju, I told you never to bring that subject up again!' Kukaku had an unmistakable look of rage and sadness. 'Go, you're done here. Also, don't ever let them see your pathetic face.'

Kazane looked at the siblings from a distance. _'I wonder what happened to Kaien-san that caused Ganju to hate shinigami so much. Wasn't Kaien-san a shinigami as well?'_

'_I can think of two reasons: One, Kaien was stuck up and got killed as a result.'_

'_Next,' Kazane said boredly._

'_Two, Kaien was killed by a shinigami.'_

Kazane was shocked. _'Killed… by a shinigami? No way, too many people respect and like Kaien-san to possibly hold a grudge against him.'_

'_What if it wasn't a grudge? What if it was due to a mission?'_

'_If that's so, then I don't see any reason to kill him. Kaien-san does not disobey orders unless he has a very valid and important reason.'_

'_What if…'_

'_Don't say anymore, Haruka. Please, I'm still finding hard to cope with his death.' _Kazane shook her head and walked in the plains surrounding the house.

'_Wait, you're not training with them?' _

'_There's no need. I can do stuff like that easily,' Kazane said._

'_Boasting, are we?'_

'_It's the truth. Just because Ichigo has a problem controlling his reiatsu doesn't mean we all do.'_

'_True.'_

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'So you're here,' Kukaku said.

Kazane looked up at the older woman. On her lap was her laptop, the screen showing top secret information of the Gotei 13. 'Yeah, I wanted some place quiet to do my stuff.'

'You always isolated yourself from others,' Kukaku sat down beside her.

Kazane resumed her typing. She said after a while, 'Is Ichigo alright? He drew out a heck lot of reiatsu just now.'

'Yeah, but he'll be asleep for quite a while. He's probably not accustomed to drawing so much reiatsu unless he's fighting,' Kukaku produced a bottle of sake out of nowhere. 'Want some?'

'No… I'm still underage…' Kazane gave a small smile.

'152 years old is hardly considered underage,' Kukaku scoffed.

'I'm 153 actually,' Kazane corrected gently.

There was a silence between them. Kukaku glanced sideways at her. 'Aren't you going to ask?'

'Ask about what?'

'You should already know what I'm talking about.'

There was nothing but the sound of typing coming from her. Then, she said softly, 'I don't want to talk about something that only brings pain to others.'

'I've already gotten over it,' Kukaku argued.

'But bringing it up only brings pain, no?' Kazane looked up and stared into Kukaku's eyes. She paused for a moment before asking, 'but if you do insist, then I ask you: How did Kaien-san die?'

'He was killed by a shinigami,' Kukaku replied instantly.

'_I told you,' Haruka said proudly._

'_Shut up.'_

'Who killed him?'

'I'm not too sure. But I do know that it was a shinigami from the same Division as his. And it was a female.'

'On a mission?'

'Yes.'

Silence reigned once more between them.

'Do you hate shinigami?' Kukaku suddenly asked.

'I could ask you the same thing,' Kazane was amused.

'No, honestly, do you bear resentment towards them?' Kukaku was serious.

Kazane thought about it for a while. 'The Gotei 13 wrongly accused us of committing a crime we would never, in centuries, ever do. They abandoned several high-ranking shinigamis –Captains and vice-captains, to be exact- without even confirming whether their condition was reversible or could be tamed. They abandoned us like rags! They wouldn't even listen to what we'd say! I can never forgive this sort of injustice, nor can I hate the group of people I have grown so much to love,' Kazane said in a pained voice. 'I miss the 12th Division, really, but so long as the past is still fresh and clear in my mind, even if I'm allowed to go back as a member of the 12th Division, I can never feel the same nor can I be the same as I was a century ago.'

'Tough life.'

'I know… Kukaku, you do know the name of the female shinigami who killed Kaien-san, don't you?' Kazane fired suddenly. 'I can tell that you're hiding something from me.'

Kukaku was stunned. 'How did you know?'

'I can just tell. Please, tell me. Who killed Kaien-san?'

'She's… I can't. If I tell you, you'll be hurt terribly.'

'Nothing can make me more hurt that I am now, Kukaku,' Kazane said impatiently.

'Well then… I guess I can't keep it from you. But don't tell Ganju, okay? The shinigami is… Kuchiki Rukia.'

Kazane gasped and then moaned. She dropped her head into her hands and shook her head silently.

'I told you it would hurt you. Are you alright?' Kukaku leant toward her, wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

'No, it's just that… the person I'm after is Kuchiki Rukia,' Kazane moaned. 'In her… Urahara placed something in her and I need to get it back or destroy it before Aizen gets his hands on it. Knowing that she's killed Kaien-san… I'm really worried.'

'That you'll kill her?'

'No, that I won't be able to stop myself from killing her. She's important to Byakuya. If she wasn't, he would never adopt a random girl from Rukongai like that. Even if I'm after her… I just can't bear to kill her. I'm afraid my anger will overcome my senses…' Kazane sighed.

'You'll make it, somehow. I know you can,' Kukaku hugged her tightly.

'Thank you... Kukaku.' Kazane leant against Kuakaku's shoulder. She gazed up at the moon. 'If only life was as tranquil as the moon…'

**And that's it! The latest chapter is done! How was it? It's around 5K words and a bit longer than the previous chapter. Please RXR!**

**Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And to those who celebrate Boxing Day, Happy Boxing Day to you! (I never really understood the meaning of Boxing Day…)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Surprise! I've managed to type out another chapter the past few days. I hope you enjoy it! RXR!**

Present time… Kukaku's house…

'Ah… we're departing now, huh?' Kazane stretched and gazed up at the sky. The light from the candles lighting up the area shined on her, making her skin glow and the blue scarf sparkle softly. 'I hope the weather stays that way.'

'Kazane, do you know that your scarf sparkles?' Ichigo pointed at the blue scarf.

Kazane smiled. 'Yeah. It was given to me by a very important noble. I heard it's worth the cost of 3 mansions.'

Ichigo's jaws dropped, and so did the others.

'Enough said. We shouldn't waste anymore time,' Youruichi said. 'Is everyone ready to go?'

'Hey, where's Ganju?' Kukaku noticed.

'He was studying something when I saw him just now…' Ichigo told them.

'Wait!' Ganju appeared. 'The heroes… always… arrive the last!' Ganju was gasping heavily.

'What are you wearing?' Ichigo pointed to the weird suit he adorned.

'It's Ganju's special battle suit! Cool, huh?' Ganju showed it to everyone. 'I won't let you wear it even if you go on your knees and beg for it!'

'Battle suit? What for? Aren't you just here to bid farewell?'

Ganju's face darkened. He grabbed Ichigo by the collar and shoved him to the wall. 'My onii-sama was killed in cold-blood by a shinigami!'

Ishida, Orihime, Chad and Ichigo gasped. Kazane winced slightly. Kukaku got up hurriedly and shouted, 'Ganju, shut-'

'Don't try to stop me, onee-sama! My onii-sama was a genius. He passed the entrance exam for the shinigami academy in one try! His powers were on level 6, on par with most vice-captains. He finished 6 years worth of curriculum for the shinigamis in 2 years! He became a vice-captain after 5 years! But then, he was killed! He was betrayed by his shinigami partner!

'I was young then, so I didn't know all the details, but I knew two things! The cold eyes of the shinigami that brought my dead brother back and the smiling face of the shinigami when thinking of my onii-sama! I don't know why, but not even once did my brother ever bad-mouth the shinigami. I want to know the reason my brother never hated the shinigami, and the reason why he believed in shinigami even in death! You are different from other shinigami, I can feel it,' Ganju pulled Ichigo closer. 'If I go with you, I know that I'll discover the truth behind onii-sama's death. So just this time, I'll help you out! I'll see with my own eyes what shinigamis are like!'

'Ganju-kun,' Orihime said.

'Boss…' Ganju's followers cried tears of admiration.

Sighing, Kazane walked forward and pulled Ganju off Ichigo. 'I know this is a very important declaration for you, but please don't intrude on his personal space. People will think you're gay.'

Ganju flushed and rounded on her. He opened his mouth to protest but was stopped short by Kazane's outstretched hand.

'Let's work together to achieve what we came here for,' Kazane flashed a dazzling smile. 'Truce?'

Ganju struggled to not hyperventilate. 'S-sure thing…'

'Alright you all! Get in! I'll be firing the cannon at sunrise.' Kukaku said. She did a swirly motion and a hole opened up at the bottom of the long chimney. One by one, the group walked in and positioned themselves around the ball in the middle. As Kazane walked in, Kukaku muttered, 'Good luck.'

Kazane glanced up shortly and discreetly passed her something. 'Thanks.' She added in an undertone, 'Keep that with you at all times.'

Kukaku gazed silently at the girl and pocketed the mysterious object. She then turned to Ganju, who was last to enter and said, 'That's what you decided. Don't run away mid-way, punk! If you want to do it, then go all out!'

'Yeah!' Ganju said in agreement.

Ichigo grabbed Ganju by the collar and said, 'Watch my back.'

'Why you…' Ganju smirked.

Ichigo finally noticed that there was a single Reisyukaku in the floor. 'Hm? We're using the same ball to make the cannonball? Come to think of it, Youruichi-san and Kazane didn't practice at all. Can you do it?'

Kazane gave a chuckle. 'You don't have to worry about that. I'm light years better at controlling my powers than you. As for Youruichi… you don't have to worry at all. We are… you can say… of the same caliber.' Kazane took the ball from Ichigo and set it on the floor. Youruichi jumped on lightly and a strong cannonball appeared instantly.

'Surprised? This sort of stuff is like second nature to us both. Are you disappointed? You trained 'like your life was on the line' and your foster sister and I could do it without even trying. Does that make you feel more inferior?' Youruichi taunted. Ichigo dropped to his knees.

'Stop that, Youruichi. We don't want him all beaten up before he even got to Seireitei,' Kazane prodded lightly on the ball, which immediately disappeared. 'It's almost sunrise, let's get ready.'

The group stood around the ball with one hand pressed firmly against it. Youruichi stood on top of the ball and said, 'Listen up, everyone. Once we're inside, don't wander off. If you meet a captain class enemy or anyone near that rank, run away! Our objective is to rescue Kuchiki Rukia. Don't take any unnecessary risks!' They heard Kukaku chanting something outside.

'It has begun! Begin channeling your reiatsu into it!' Kazane instructed. As soon as she said it, a round barrier formed around them. Soon, they felt the ground shake violently, and then they were in the air.

'Wow, the impact wasn't as great as I thought it would be,' Ichigo muttered.

'Idiot,' Ganju looked up at them. 'It has just begun.'

The cannonball wobbled a bit and it plunged right down. Ganju hurried to open the scroll and lat it across his arms.

'Hey, what are you doing?' Ichigo asked.

'The follow up incantation,' Kazane hurriedly explained the need for it. 'We need to obtain an equal release in reiatsu. Ganju won't be able to focus on that as he's doing the incantation, so we'll have to compensate for him. You should be able to detect the changes through the orb, so please adjust accordingly.'

Ganju began chanting. The people inside focused on adjusting their reiastu and were so far successful… except for a certain strawberry.

'Kurosaki-kun…' Orihime said, wincing.

'I know!'

'Kurosaki! Lower!' Ishida commandeered.

'I'm lowering!'

'Ichigo…'

'I know that, dammit!'

'You're way too low now, Ichigo. Ah, I guess it's not your fault that you're lousy at this,' Kazane said tauntingly.

Ichigo fumed and adjusted to exactly the right release.

'Wow, he's actually matching us! Kazane-chan, you're amazing!' Orihime exclaimed.

'I must admit, your way of pushing him is indeed effective,' Ishida commented.

'Thanks,' Kazane smiled. She glanced out and exclaimed, 'Look, we're almost there!'

The cannonball sped its way closer to the now visible barrier.

'We're going to crash!'

'It's inevitable. Everyone, emit as much reiastu as you can!' Youruichi yelled. There was a sudden burst in the energy. Everyone looked at Kazane.

'What? You said to emit as much as you can! I'm barely releasing 10% of my reiastu,' Kazane smiled sheepishly. Her eyes turned sharp. 'We're almost there. Impact will occur in 5 seconds.'

5 seconds later, the cannonball smashed into the barrier. They passed through slowly.

'Hey, we're through the barrier. Why aren't we falling?' Ichigo said.

'Everyone, don't separate! A tornado will start soon. Hold on tight!' Youruichi called. She jumped onto Kazane's shoulder. Kazane latched herself onto Ichigo's arm. They watched helplessly as the others struggled to hold on.

'Oi! Ichigo!' Kazane called. Ichigo was pulled away from her grip and he knocked into Ganju, who held onto Ichigo's hakama. There was a sudden blast and they all flew off in different directions. Kazane held onto Youruichi tightly, their communicators spinning about wildly in the wind.

'I guess we're together, then,' Youruichi said. 'That may be the best way…'

'We'll part ways once the coast is clear. We've both got our own matters to settle,' Kazane told her. As they approached the ground where a dozen shinigamis were waiting, Kazane flash stepped at the last moment to a deserted place.

'Your flash steps have quickened,' Youruichi noted. 'It's twice as fast as the last time we played flash step tag. Have you been training?'

'Yeah, a bit,' Kazan set Youruichi down on the floor. 'I'm still better at Byakuya anyways.'

Youruichi looked up, startled. 'You actually called by the name?'

'I got over it… a bit… after talking to Jindanbou and Kukaku. I feel a bit better now,' Kazane gave a thumb-up sign. She looked around and found that no one was in sight. 'We're safe for now but I can't guarantee how long. We better set off.'

'What are you going to do?'

'Do what I do best –computers.' Kazane smiled. 'I have something I need to do… If I'm lucky, I'll get to have an entertaining audience…'

'You're planning to talk to the Gotei 13's captains?' Youruichi drew a sharp breathe. 'You'll get killed!'

'That's what my computer is for. I'm not planning to talk to them face to face. That'll be suicide,' Kazane twirled a lock of hair. 'I'm inserting a worm into the main database before patching up a flaw in the system. That way, Mayuri-san will surely notice. I can promise that he'll gather the captains –the available ones, that is- and complain about their little predicament.'

'You aren't seriously planning to activate the worm, are you?' Youruichi said suspiciously.

'It won't do much good if Aizen's already been through the data. But it's always fun to have some blackmail material around,' Kazane gave an evil grin. 'I'll be fine. I'll check on those kids too, if that's what you want.'

'Please do. I have a bad feeling about this all,' Youruichi murmured. She prepared to leap. 'See you around, Kazane. Don't get caught.'

'As if,' Kazane chuckled. 'You're the only one that can defeat me in flash steps.'

With that, she sped away.

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That night… in the captains' meeting hall…

Kurostuchi Mayuri was angry. Correction, he was practically spitting fire. He had discovered that there was a WORM in the main database, along with a link that would connect him to a video call with his ex-subordinate.

Hiroshi Kazane.

Once he had found out the startling news, he called for a meeting with all the captains and vice-captains available.

'I have proposed to the Central 46 many times to change the OS that we are currently using many times! All of those proposals have been denied! Now, that stupid girl has inserted a WORM into the main database! Do you know how terrible that is? If she activates it, the whole database will be gone!' Mayuri screeched.

Kyouraku chuckled, 'That's because the OS that was created was inferior to Aries. And with due respects, Kurotsuchi-taicho, Kazane-chan is by far a stupid girl.'

'Who's Kazane?' Hitsugaya asked.

'Hiroshi Kazane is a prodigy that was dismissed from the Gotei 13 100 years ago. She was the creator of the Aries OS and that OS has yet to have another that is even on par with it,' Unohana informed him. 'Please note that I said: Kazane _is_ a prodigy. Obviously, she managed to get pass her own OS and insert a worm into the main database. Intelligence and strength all rolled into one single girl.'

'My, my, I never knew she would do that. When I met her just yesterday, I'd never imagined that she'd so something so… mischievous,' Ichimaru Gin laughed.

'She's one of the ryoka?' Mayuri screeched. 'That makes our information even more vulnerable! I remembered that she told me that her laptop could access any database as long as she's within a 1000 mile radius. That's enough to cover up until the 47th district!'

'Wow, you mean to say that she hacked into the database and looked at all our information?' Kyouraku grinned.

'That is not funny! She knows all the current captains in Gotei 13! If she accesses one stage further, she'll know all our secrets and abilities!' Mayuri nearly fainted at the thought.

'Then I'm betting that she'll access that level. After all, she knows most of the captains now,' Kyouraku said. He turned to the rest of the captains standing in line. 'I think with the exception of Kuchiki-taicho, Komamura-taicho and Hitsugaya-taicho as well as all the vice-captains, the rest know her quite well, don't you?'

There were a few murmurs heard. Some of them looked uneasy while others were plain bored.

'She has left a link for us to contact her. She obviously wants to provoke us!' Mayuri showed them the link. 'I suggest we ignore her!'

'I think otherwise. If we contact her, we may be able to find out more about her motives. I think that would help us…' Ukitake said.

'I agree…' Hitsugaya said.

'You don't know what you're talking about! Hiroshi-san has a face that will knock you down ten-seconds flat if you see her! The last time Kazane visited my Division and smiled at my members, they were out of commission for three weeks!' Aizen said anxiously. 'Some of them even attempted suicide!'

'Is her face really that ugly?' Kira wondered out loud.

Gin smirked. 'No, I wouldn't say that she's ugly. She's just…'

CLICK! Yamamoto had clicked on the link. A second later, the back of a head appeared on the screen,

'_Oh, it seems like someone has decided to contact me,' _Kazane turned around. She was wearing a porcelain mask that covered the top half of her face. It had red and black streaks on it and looked somewhat like a Hollow's mask.

'Hiroshi Kazane, I demand you answer my question!' Mayuri pointed a finger at the violet-eyed girl.

'_Uh, what is it?' _Kazane twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

'Why did you put a worm in the main database?' Mayuri was on the verge of insanity.

'_Blackmail purposes,' _Kazane answered sweetly. '_It's always nice to have some material in your hands.'_

'Blackmail purpose? You are risking the entire database just to blackmail someone?' Mayuri screeched. Kazane covered her ears and frowned.

'_You shouldn't do that. It will hurt your lungs, Kurotsuchi-taicho,'_ Kazane paused after every syllabus when saying Mayuri's name.

'Shut up!' Mayuri screamed. 'I demand that you remove this worm from the database right away!'

'_I can't do that.'_

'Why?' His eyes were livid with anger.

'_Because there's no way for me to enter Aries and remove the worm. I inserted the worm through a flaw in the OS but I patched it up right after I finished transferring the worm. There's nowhere for the worm to go,' _Kazane told him. She took out a small device. _'Right now, this is the only thing that's controlling the worm. If I push this button here, all the information stored in Aries' databank will be erased at 10GB a second. That's pretty fast, if you ask me.'_

'Of course it's fast! The entire databank will be dissolved into dust in minutes!' Mayuri shouted. 'How on earth did you create such a crazy worm?'

'_Elementary, really. I took about 5 days to create the worm but 50 years to discover a flaw in Aries.' _Kazane toyed with the device. She accidentally pushed the button to activate the worm. The veins in Mayuri's neck and temple bulged.

'_Don't worry. I'm not that foolish. I've locked the keypad to this device. Fight now the only way to unlock it is to enter a 64-digit code that only I know,' _Kazane gave a smile. Mayuri relaxed a notched but was still livid.

'Hiroshi Kazane, I shall only give you this one opportunity to present your case. Why have you and the ryoka with you entered Seireitei through force?' Yamamoto asked, opening one of his eyes.

'_I wouldn't say force, really. All we did was to pass through the barrier using a rather ingenious method,_' Kazane smiled sheepishly. '_But I'll answer you… question? You should already know, actually. We are here to stop a case of injustice.'_

'Injustice?' Yamamoto said questionably. 'I hardly see any injustice happening around here.'

'_You should know what I'm talking about. Hardly anyone gets death sentence by lending his powers to a human, much less a noble. Even if the case was that serious, the penalty wouldn't be so harsh.'_

'What are you implying?' Yamamoto had both eyes open now.

'_Nothing really. But I'd like to tell you a little story containing subtle hints to what I'm after.'_

'This is not the time for bedtime stories,' Yamamoto said irritably. A few people agreed.

'_Then I suppose this will be the end of our little meeting,' _Kazane leaned forward, as if to turn off the device she was using to talk to them.

'Let her tell her little story, Yama-jii,' Kyouraku said under his hat. Kazane paused in her action, a smile pulling on her lips. 'There's nothing to lose.'

'Kyouraku-taicho, please do not let your personal feelings get into your way,' Byakuya said, offering his opinion for the first time since Kazane had begun talking to them.

'_Why is that, Roku ban tai taicho, Kuchiki Byakuya?' _Kazane asked innocently. _'What's there to lose by sparing this little girl a few minutes of your time? Surely paperwork is not the only case?'_

Byakuya remained silent. The other captains and vice-captains looked around.

'I would like to hear what Kazane has to say,' Unohana suddenly said.

'I would too,' Ukitake piped up.

'What if someone attacks us while she's telling us some useless story?' Hitsugaya argued stubbornly.

'I'm sure that the situation will be handled well. Zaraki-taicho is out there too,' Soi Fon said, crossing her arms.

'_The notorious Kenpachi listening to a story, that will make me laugh,' _Kazane giggled.

'Hurry up with your fairytale if you're intending to tell it,' Hitsugaya said irritably.

Kazane glanced around before starting, '_The angels are both the victims and proof of His dealings with Hades. He is neither angel nor devil, someone with two different personalities. What He seeks is the Holy Grail, which has the power to grant his upmost desire. He will stop at nothing to achieve what he wants. He, together with the other fallen angels and the Holy Grail in his hands, will then descend into the depths of Hell, to work with Hades for his wish. He betrays, He creates illusions, and He kills the angels who have done no sin but to exist. He stands within the midst of the powerful, yet his power is by far superior to most.'_

'What the heck is that supposed to mean?' A vein popped in Hitsugaya's head.

'It draws some references to us, doesn't it?' Hinamori wondered out loud. 'The angels are the shinigami-'

'_No, the angels are the innocents,' _Kazane corrected.

'The innocents that have done no sin but to exist?' Hinamori looked dumbfounded.

'He has two personalities… So that means that the person we see now isn't the real person we know?' Kira fired at Kazane who didn't reply.

'Descend into the depths of hell… Does that mean Hueco Mundo?' Hisagi thought aloud.

'Who are the angels?' Hitsugaya suddenly asked.

'_Do you wish to know?' _Kazane looked at the snowy-haired boy curiously. _'I doubt you'd recognize their names.'_

'Who is it?' Ichimaru asked. Aizen glanced sideways at him. Others didn't notice the slight movement in his eyes but it didn't escape the eyes of Kazane.

'_I think some of you have heard their names before… Hirako Shinji, former 5__th__ Division captain; Sarugaki Hiyori, former vice-captain of 12__th__ Division; Yadomaru Lisa, former 8__th__ Division vice-captain; Otoribashi Rojuro, more commonly known as Rose, former 3__rd__ Division captain; Muguruma Kensei, former 9__th__ Division captain; Kuna Mashiro, former vice-captain of 9__th__ Division; Aikawa Love, former captain of the 7__th__ Division and Ushoda Hachigen, former vice-captain of the Kido Corps.'_

'Why have you listed the name of former captains?' Yamamoto looked directly at her eyes.

'_Someone asked me to tell them the names of the angels in my story, and that's what I did. Actually, there're two more but I suppose it's best not to say anything about them,' _Kazane smiled. _'Noticed any similarities?'_

'All of them were… they disappeared 100 years ago. They disappeared along with a few more high-ranking officers,' Ukitake said slowly. 'They were involved in a Hollowfication experiment conducted by Urahara Kisuke.'

'I don't see why we should be making such a big fuss over such a lame story and a few names,' Renji said stubbornly. 'Why should we believe all that stuff from someone who doesn't even reveal her face to us?'

Kazane remained silent. She sat very still for a moment before lifting a hand to take off the mask. She bent her head slightly, using her long fringe to cover her face and removed the mask. When she finally looked up, the young boys in the captains' room gasped at her face. Even Nanao and Isane lifted their hands to their mouths in shock.

'_Are you satisfied?'_ Kazane asked softly. She gazed around, looking at each captain and vice-captain in the eye. '_It's up to you if you want to believe and ponder over what I said just now. What you do is none of my business. I just want you to know that not all is what it seems like.' _Kazane stared at Kuchiki Byakuya for a second._ 'If you want to protect something, Byakuya, then reach out and protect it before it disappears. Good night then.'_

The screen turned blank. The captains looked at each other, wondering what to say.

Suddenly, a message was sent to the screen.

**Victims of Him:**

**Hirako Shinji**

**Sarugaki Hiyori**

**Yadomaru Lisa**

**Otoribashi Rojuro**

**Muguruma Kensei**

**Kuna Mashiro**

**Aikawa Love**

**Ushoda Hachigen**

The last few names really shocked them

**Shiba Kaien**

**Hiroshi Kazane**

There was a silence in the room. No one dared to believe what they had just read.

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Somewhere in Soul Society…

Kazane sighed heavily, the mask in her hand falling from her hand and landing on the floor with a tinkering sound. The mask was off. The façade was off. They saw the real her. They saw the distortion within her, that is, if they were smart enough to link up the dots. The last two names were incredibly hard to write down. Shiba Kaien was not exactly a direct victim of Aizen's, but his death was without a doubt Aizen's fault. She covered her eyes with her hands and leaned back on the roof she was sitting on. A tear slipped down her cheek.

'_Why are you crying?'_

'_I don't know. I vowed not to cry while I was in Soul Society. I made a firm resolution to not let anyone see my pathetic crying face. But why? Why are my confusions and doubts all turning into tears? Why are my pain and sufferings materializing in the form of tears? Why… can't I even keep to a simple promise I made to myself?'_

'_We are there for you, Kazane. You don't have to beat yourself about it all by yourself. Your pain is our pain and we are happy to share it with you.'_

'_Now that makes me even worse. I don't want you all to feel pain, Haruka and Shiroi. I don't want to be so weak that I need to share the burden with people I love. I don't want anyone to pity me or sympathize with me. I want to be strong so that I can stand and battle all my problems by myself. I don't want to be the weak and dependant girl I was 100 or so years ago. I don't want to correct my mistakes, but to prevent anymore similar mistakes. What's done is done… I can't change the past. I can't change what I've become. That's why…'_

'_Then do it,' Haruka said firmly. 'If that's what you want, then do it. You have not prevented similar mistakes from happening. You have broken down 3 or 4 times over the same subject the past few weeks. If you really want to change, then change! Don't break down ever again. Face up to the truth and embrace it. It's just like how you said. What's done is done. In that case, stop thinking of the past. Look forward! If you can't do such a simple thing like that, I'll disown you!'_

'_Hey, isn't that a bit harsh?' The crackly voice of Kazane's Hollow was heard._

'_There's no choice! If she continues this way, she'll lose in the end! Kazane must never lose!' Haruka seemed to be a hyped up mood._

'_Haruka won't disown me. She likes me too much,' Kazane smiled._

'_Darn, you got a point there.'_

'_I always do,' Kazane laughed. She gazed up at the snowy sky of her inner world. 'I must fight the past on my own if I ever want to conquer it, just like when I was fighting Shiroi-hime. That's why… I'll surely win this battle. No matter how long this will take, I'll surely win this battle all on my own.'_

'_You better, because I'll be watching you.'_

'_Since when have you not been watching over me?'_

'_Um, I haven't. I've always been with you.'_

'_So in reality, you are a 24/7 female stalker?'_

'_That sounds bad, now that you've put it that way.'_

'_Oh no, I've got a stalker with me! 911? I've got a crazy stalker that just wouldn't let go! And you know the weird thing about it? I actually enjoy the stalker's company!'_

'_Wow, thanks, Kazane.'_

'_No problem.'_

'_Forever partners?'_

'_Forever partners and friends. You included too, Shiroi.'_

'_Heh? I don't want to get all sentimental and gushy! I'm fierce and mean!'_

'_And you have a fetish for spongebob squarepants.'_

'_What's wrong with liking a living yellow sponge?'_

'_Nothing, nothing. Come to think of it, it was Shiroi's idea to give Kaien-san spongebob squarepants boxers for his birthday.'_

_Shiroi fumed. 'That's it! I'm going home!'_

'_You are home.'_

'_Then to my room.'_

'_Hello? This is an icy and snowy plain here? There are no rooms in this place!'_

'_Argh!'_

'_Shiroi. Come sit on the gazebo with us.'_

'…_okay…'_

'_Who lives in the pineapple under the sea…'_

'_Argh! That's it! I'm leaving home!' Shiroi stormed off into the horizon._

'_Is it alright to let her go like that?'_

'_Don't worry, the earth is round. She'll come back to this spot sooner or later.'_

'_Argh! Why am I back in the same place I left?'_

'_See? I told you.'_

'_Nice. You can never get lost this way.'_

**Chapter 11 OWARI! I know I've made Kazane a bit funny in this chapter. In my eyes, she's just a little girl that has lived 153 as a soul and has a startling intelligence and strength but is very… troubled by her past. Damn you, Aizen! Look what you did to my precious Kazane!**

**Somewhere in Hueco Mundo… **

**Aizen sneezed. **_**'Someone must be talking bad about me. Ulquiora! Go get the person who bad-mouthed me over here!'**_

'_**Yes, Aizen-sama.'**_

**Back at Earth…**

'**Argh! Why is an arrancar in my room! Stalker!' Wingless Dreams fires a deathly kick at Ulquiora's groin.**

**Back in Hueco Mundo…**

**Szayel examined Ulquiora's wounds. 'This is bad, very bad.'**

'**How bad?'**

'**You don't want to know.'**

'**I… see…' Ulquiora gulped, hoping that Aizen's Hougyoku would be able to fix the damage. 'Never appear in the middle of a girl's room while she is frustrating over the plot of her story.'**

'**The next time you see her, try to give her a few tips on how to improve on her story.'**

'**I haven't even appeared in it yet!'**

'**Always nice to be prepared. Maybe one day, she'll forgive you.'**

'**I don't want to suffer another kick of hers… ever again…' **


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm so sorry for the late update. School's been so busy lately. I had a camp just this Friday and I'm exhausted. Still, enjoy this chapter!**

In the early hours of the morning… The sewers under Seireitei…

'Will he be alright?' a soft female voice was heard.

Hanatarou turned around quickly to see who it was. 'Who's there?'

'Don't be afraid,' Kazane stepped out into the dim light. 'I'm an ally of Ichigo.'

'Ichigo's… partner?' Hanatarou said cautiously.

'Yep,' Kazane winked friendly him. 'I'm Hiroshi Kazane, Ichigo's foster sister. You can call me Kazane, if you want. So, will Ichigo be alright?'

'It'll take a while, but I'm positive that he'll be alright by sunrise,' Hanatarou confirmed. 'He was wounded quite badly.'

'Who was he fighting against?' Kazane knelt down besides Ichigo.

'Abarai Renji, vice-captain of the 6th Division. He's an incredibly strong opponent. Ichigo barely won,' Hanatarou said sadly. 'But Abarai-fukutaicho was badly wounded as well. He was on a power limit, however. If he had used all of his power, he may have won.'

'Power limit, huh?' Kazane sighed. She noticed the Hollow mask with a cut on the top of it lying besides Ichigo. She picked it up and examined it from all angles. She looked at Hanatarou questioningly. 'Where did you find this?'

'It was with Ichigo. I found it in his hakama when I opened it up to see his wounds. It helped defend him against this wound,' Hanatarou pointed to Ichigo's left shoulder. 'I don't know how it got there, though. Do you, Kazane-san?'

Kazane looked at him sharply. 'I'm sorry, but I can't tell you about this. If you can, please refrain from telling others about this mask. It will cause complications…'

'I see…'

There was a silence in between them for a while. Finally, Kazane got up and dusted her hakama.

'You're leaving?'

'Yes, I still have matters to attend to. Please take care of Ichigo,' Kazane bowed. 'I'm very grateful to you for taking care of my foster brother. By the way, please be prepared to heal him anytime soon.'

'Why?' Hanatarou looked up from his healing.

'The notorious Zaraki Kenpachi is out looking for him. Although, his sense of direction is as hopeless as his Kido, I suspect he'll find Ichigo by tomorrow.'

'Zaraki-taicho?' Hanatarou had a fearful tone in his voice.

'Don't worry. His likely target will only be Ichigo. If you hide while they are fighting and conceal you reiatsu, the chances are that he'll not notice you at all.' Kazane gave a wink. 'Good luck then, Hanatarou-kun.'

'Sure,' Hanatarou continued with his healing. It took him a full 3 minutes to notice that something was wrong. 'When did I tell her my name?'

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Above ground… In a deserted corridor…

'_You let something slip, Kazane,' Haruka chided gently._

'_It's alright. I won't have any more proper conversations with that boy while I'm in Seireitei. At least, while I'm still considered as the ryoka. I highly doubt that I'll be able to escape out of this clean.'_

'_Your actions will come to light when Aizen makes his appearance.'_

'_I'm not a pillar of justice, Haruka. I do what I need to accomplish. I don't waste my time trying to help those that I cannot help or those that are not worth my time,' _Kazane flipped a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her long blond hair was swaying in the wind. She closed her eyes and concentrated deeply to sense her friend's reiastu among the crowd of shinigami. 'One, two, three, four, five, six… all of them are still alive.'

'_That is a surprise… not. I sure hope they're found by a kind captain that will spare their lives… Wandering around Seireitei outnumbered isn't the best way to live and find a criminal.'_

'_I hope so too… Kyouraku-taicho, Ukitake-taicho and Unohana-taicho are probably the group's best chance of survival,' _Kazane jumped up on the roof of a house. _'I should get going. I need to deliver that thing to Youruichi…'_

'_She's planning to use that?'_

'_I think so. To be safe, I'll just place it in the usual hiding place. I'm sure she'll go there…' _Kazan flash-stepped past all the houses and stopped at the bottom of a particular building. She knelt down and placed a palm on a random square. It glowed and dissolved, revealing an underground passage.

'_The secret underground storage room that not even Mayuri knows about… Urahara did this, I suppose?'_

'_Yes… He told me about it a few days before I left for Soul Society. This room holds all the secret inventions that were either too dangerous or too destructive to be produced widely. And one of them includes this,' _Kazane picked up a stiff cloth dummy. _'The Bankai trainer that is capable of allowing the user to attain Bankai in a mere three days.'_

'_It's dangerous.'_

'_But necessary for Ichigo to fight against the captains. Imagine if Byakuya uses his Bankai on Ichigo.'_

'_He'll be sliced into ribbons.'_

'_I'd rather say he'll be turned into minced meat but I suppose what you said will do just as well.'_

'_He'll die.'_

'_Not if I can't help it. The medical supplies are already in the hiding place. Youruichi will have full access to top-rated medicine. The passage to the underground training grounds has also been opened. All that's left is for Ichigo to have his share of Kenpachi.'_

'_The way you phrase to sounds…'_

'_Pardon me.' _Kazane tucked the dummy under her arm and turned around to leave. The stale air of the room was making her feel queasy. _'Don't die, Ichigo, especially if your opponent is Zaraki Kenpachi.'_

Kazane jumped out of the hole, landing on a roof gracefully. She looked back to see if the hole was sealed again before preparing to set off.

'Kazane-ojou-sama?'

Kazane jumped and turned around slowly. The person who called her was standing a few feet away, his head hidden in the darkness. He slowly walked into the moonlight, revealing his pale, handsome face. His bright green eyes sparkled in the light. Black, spiky hair covered his head while a long ponytail swayed naturally behind him. He was wearing the usual hakama and his sword was strapped at his right side.

Kazane gasped, her eyes shocked. She then squealed in glee and launched herself at the man. 'Ichiru-kun!'

'Ojou-sama!' Ichiru was at a loss at what to do. He hesitantly hugged her in return. 'What are you doing here, Ojou-sama?'

'Isn't it obvious, Ichiru-kun?' Kazane pouted at him. She caught herself and turned away, embarrassed. 'Sorry, it's just too easy to be myself with you. How have you been, Ichiru-kun?'

'Alright, I suppose. I'm now the 5th seat of the 8th Division, under Kyouraku-taicho. I'm having a very good life here,' Ichiru told her with formality.

'I see. But you're only the 5th seat?' Kazane glared at him playfully. 'You are better than that, Ichiru-kun!'

'Yes, but…' Ichiru looked nervous.

'You're being too humble!' Kazane chided. 'You're much better than a vice-captain, even though you don't qualify as a captain!'

'It's not good… to stand out like that…' Ichiru said embarrassedly.

'That's alright then!' Kazane grinned playfully. She picked up the dummy that was discarded on the floor when she saw Ichiru. 'I'll be going then.'

'Wait, Ojou-sama!' Ichiru grabbed her hand hastily. He saw himself gripping her hand tightly and pulled away instantly. 'I'm so sorry. But as your bodyguard, I need to remain with you at all times.'

'I'm not a noble any more, Ichiru!' Kazane looked at him in the eye. 'You are not obliged to follow me around as my bodyguard any longer. I thought I already told you that.'

'I made a vow to serve you for life. Please allow me to follow you while I still can!' Ichiru pleaded.

Kazane looked at him for a while. 'It would be a sin to deny you your earnest wish. Alright, you can follow me around. But please, return to your normal life right after this incident is resolved. I don't want to ruin your life.'

Ichiru smiled warmly. 'That's more than enough, Ojou-sama. Thank you for allowing me to remain as your loyal bodyguard and faithful friend.'

Kazane smiled, 'Even though I've caused you much trouble in the past?'

_00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000_

_Flashback…_

_Kazane sat alone in the Hirako mansion garden, playing with the water in the large pond. She froze the water and defrosted it over and over again, manipulating a few drops of water at a time. Her face was bored and she was looking for something to play with. Suddenly, her head shot up and she turned towards the old sakura tree in the garden, not far away from her._

'_I know you're there. Can you please come out?' Kazane said, annoyed. 'Or do you want me to drag you out like how I did to my stalking suitors? I know you saw what I did to them.'_

_A handsome man stepped out from behind the sakura tree. He had the Hirako Clan crest sewed on the sleeve of his right arm and there was a zanpakto at his side. He looked embarrassed and ashamed. He bowed down, his long fringe covering his eyes._

'_Who are you?' Kazane asked._

'_My name is Hiroshi Ichiru. I was ordered to remain as your bodyguard for as long as I live,' Ichiru said, his head still bowed down._

_Kazane walked to him and used a finger to tilt his head up. She smiled at him, 'Is that so? Are you a shinigami?'_

'_No, but I plan to be one. Well, that is if you become a shinigami as well. I must remain by your side at all times. Please forgive me for the invasion of your privacy.'_

_Kazane pouted. 'Why are you so formal when you speak to me?'_

'_That's because you're my charge. I must be respectful to my charge,' Ichiru looked flustered._

'_That's so sad. I was hoping that you could be my friend and play with me. There's nothing to do here except stare at the water and play with it,' Kazane sighed. 'I hardly interact with other children of my age. The only person I'm allowed to see is Kuchiki-dono, my fiancée.'_

'_What about reading the books in the library?' Ichiru pointed to the Hirako Clan library which stored over 20,000 precious books._

'_Read and memorised all of them. Reiyuu-sensei can be a real slave driver if she wants to be one,' Kazane giggled. 'It's too bad she's away on her family business. I wanted to spar with her.'_

'_Eh? You fight with your teacher?' Ichiru was shocked. 'Is that alright with your parents?'_

'_My mother wants me to become a shinigami. She says that it's best for me. My father… frankly, he doesn't care at all. He only has eyes for Shinji-nii-sama,' Kazane said sadly. 'Since I'm a noble, I'm not allowed to go out to the streets or even near the walls. It's really boring here.'_

'_I see.' Ichiru stood like a statue beside her._

'_Can you fight me?' Kazane suddenly asked._

'_What!?' Ichiru nearly had a heart attack. He stumbled back a few steps and looked at the young girl, horrified._

'_Can you fight me?' Kazane repeated patiently. 'I want to have a friendly spar with you.'_

'_Um, Hirako-Ojou-sama, my job is to prevent you from getting hurt, not get you hurt! I can't fight you!' Ichiru protested._

'_Then I guess I'll fight them then,' Kazane got up and looked behind Ichiru's tall figure. She took out a fan and flicked it open with a sharp movement with her wrist. She tore off the paper covering it, revealing a razor-sharp steel fan. Standing at an elegant pose, she looked at the Southern wall that was a few dozen feet away from the garden._

'_What?' Ichiru turned around to look where all his young charge's attention was focused at. He saw it a few seconds later. The sky was being ripped apart by an unseen force and a few pairs of hands were emerging from it. 'Hollow?'_

'_The barrier around this district has always been weak. Occasionally, Hollows or Menos will come to Seireitei. Reiyuu-sensei has been pestering my parents to set up a barrier around this part of the house but they never considered her plan,' Kazane twirled her fan expertly. 'If you just stand there, you'll get your head chopped off, Hiroshi-san.'_

_Kazane jumped and swept her fan at the air above Ichiru. A severed arm came crashing down on the ground besides him. Ichiru regained his composure and laughed softly. _

'_How screwed up. I'm supposed to protect her, not she protect me,' Ichiru chuckled and drew his zanpakto. 'Slice through the heavenly skies, Yoru no Kage!'_

_Ichiru swiped a hand across the blade of his zanpakto. It transformed into a long and sleek black pole. Intricate carvings were shown on the pole. He raised it into the air and twirled it around, generating a strong gust of wind. He then swiped the pole through the air, sending a powerful strike to the Hollows that were gathering around the mansion. The Hollows' limbs were severed and they let out a chilling scream before disappearing._

'_Are you alright, Ojou-sama?' Ichiru turned back to the young girl. She was smiling, like she was having a whale of a time._

'_I'm alright. Oh, look out!' Kazane exclaimed. Ichiru turned around just in time to see a long claw making its way to his neck. Then, it stopped._

'_Who the hell?' Ichiru stumbled back a few steps. He saw icicles stabbing the Hollow at every part of it. He turned around and saw his charge with her released zanpakto standing on a rock. She waved her scythe at the Hollow, muttering, 'Freeze an icy death…'_

'_You little punk!' the Hollow screeched. 'You killed me just like all the shinigamis do! You murderer!'_

'_I did not kill you as a shinigami. I killed you because you pointed your claws at someone important to me,' Kazane cocked her head and snapped her fingers. The Hollow shattered into dust._

'_Ojou-sama…' _

'_Are you alright, Ichiru?' Kazane asked with concern. 'It didn't hurt you, did it?'_

'_I should be asking you that!' Ichiru was indignant. 'To have my charge discover me in less than a week and to be saved by her… this couldn't possibly get any worse…'_

'_I wouldn't tell anyone, you know,' Kazane said innocently._

'_But someone saw…'_

'_Kuchiki-dono would be pleased to have a rival,' Kazane grinned and turned to the house. 'Right, Kuchiki-dono?'_

_Byakuya showed himself. He was annoyed and slightly angry. Turning to Ichiru, he shouted, 'How could you let Hirako-dono fight a Hollow? She could have died!'_

_Ichiru groaned and muttered under his breath, 'Damn noble…'_

'_It wasn't Hiroshi-san's fault. I fought the Hollow on my own violation,' Kazane sealed her zanpakto and placed it back under her kimono._

'_But still…' Byakuya was still angry._

'_Hiroshi-san, may I call you Ichiru?' Kazan turned to Ichiru and smiled._

_Ichiru found it hard to look at her and tear his face away from the addicting smile at the same time. He stuttered, 'Sure…'_

'_What?' Byakuya protested._

'_Is something wrong?' Kazane grinned slyly. 'Or do you want me to call you Byakuya?'_

'_T-that…' Byakuya flushed._

'_Byakuya-dono, Ichiru-kun, let's go have tea together!' Kazane smiled and winked at the two boys._

'_Sure, Hirako-ojou-sama,' Ichiru bowed and took her arm. 'Would you like sakura tea or jasmine tea?'_

'_I don't really have any preferences… I suppose chrysanthemum tea would be nice,' Kazan thought out loud._

_Byakuya fumed. 'I'll have the servants bring some treats along!'_

'_There's no need. I've prepared some tasty pastries for ojou-sama,' Ichiru grinned. 'They're chocolate flavoured, the ones that you really enjoy from the human world.'_

'_Really?' Kazane squealed. 'I love chocolate buns!'_

'_I thought so. Now, shall we go?' Ichiru lead her into the house. When he passed by Byakuya, he smiled, 'You'll have to put up a fight now, Kuchiki-sama.'_

_Byakuya glared at the bodyguard. 'She's mine!'_

'_Then fight for her!' Ichiru patted his head, earning a furious growl. 'Kuchiki-sama… gaki…'_

'_Why you!' Byakuya and Ichiru began their death glare fight, which extended to over a few decades._

_Inside the mansion, Kazane was prancing around, holding a chocolate bun in the air as if she was worshipping it._

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Present time, the next day… somewhere near the central of Seireitei…

'It's already quite impressive that a human managed to come to Seireitei, but to fight to this extent, it's truly amazing and admirable,' Kyouraku said. He turned around to face the damage of Chad's last blow. 'It would have been nasty if I got hit by that last hit.'

'Kyouraku-taicho!' Nanao jumped down from the roof she was standing on. 'There's an urgent message!'

'It's unlike you to be so anxious? What is it about?' Kyouraku folded his arms inside the sleeves of his hakama.

'Aizen-taicho… has passed away!' the moment those words left Nanao's mouth, Kyouraku's eyes grew wide. Nanao continued, 'The cause of death was severe injury to the heart and removal of the Hakusui by a zanpakto. It was definitely a homicide, but there aren't any suspects yet. It's a first-class order under the combined order of Yamamoto-soutaicho and Hitsugaya-taicho. There's no doubt to this report.'

'So… Sousuke-kun…' Kyouraku pulled his hat down. 'Let's go pay him a visit then.'

Nanao casted her glance around and saw Chad lying on the floor. 'What's wrong, Kyouraku-taicho? That ryoka is still alive. Shall I finish him off?'

'No,' Kyouraku grabbed Nanao's hand gently and pulled it away. 'It's not lady-like to do such a thing.'

'But-! This man may be an ally of the man who killed Aizen-taicho. Is it alright to let him live?'

'Yes, that may be true, but it may also be false. If that man is really an ally of the killer, or the killer himself, all the more we shouldn't let him die like this,' Kyouraku said wisely. 'I'm sure you understand this.'

'Yes… I understand… Please forgive my foolishness,' Nanao bowed her head down.

'Do you… have anything to say, Kazane?' Kyouraku said to no one in particular. He then looked up to see the blond-haired girl who had appeared.

'I…' Kazane had a strange look on her face. She was standing on the roof Nanao stood at previously. 'Thank you… for sparing his life. No words can express my gratitude.'

'The female ryoka!' Nanao was on high alert. She raised her hand again, preparing to strike.

'Don't, Nanao-chan,' Kyouraku said gently.

'But!'

'Don't. Even if you attack, you won't be able to wound her at all, much less kill her. Her standard is much higher than yours,' Kyouraku sighed.

'Ojou-sama,' Ichiru had flash-stepped to the spot Kazane was at. 'Why did you take off like that? You know that I'm terrible at flash-steps… Kyouraku-taicho!'

'What are you doing with the ryoka, 5th seat Hiroshi?' Nanao asked sternly. 'You do know that what you're doing is treason, don't you?'

'Please leave him out of this, Nanao-san. He has to follow me due to a life-long contract with me. This has nothing to do with personal reasons or anything of that sort,' Kazane walked up. 'Pardon his actions, Kyouraku-taicho.'

'Alright. If it's Kazane-chan asking, then I can't refuse,' Kyouraku smiled.

'Taicho!'

'Kyouraku-taicho, thank you very much,' Ichiru bowed.

'No problem!' He waved. 'By the way, have you seen the body yet?'

'Yes, we were examining it when Ojou-sama suddenly flash-stepped away.'

'Tell me, what was your opinion on his death?'

Ichiru received a nod from Kazane. He licked his lips slowly, saying, 'From my eyes, the death looked unnatural.'

'Ah, I thought so…' He sighed heavily.

_Flashback…_

_Kazane stood on the roof, examining the body from afar. Ichiru stood a distance away, alternating his gazes between Kazane and the bloody corpse hanging on the wall._

'_What do you think, Ichiru?' Kazane asked, pointing to the body._

_Ichiru glanced at the body for a while. 'It is… weird, I think. Judging from the amount of wounds on his body, I'll say the fight was short… I'll say less than 20 minutes. Thus, the only one that could actually fight him in that duration of time and out power him is a captain. Aizen-taicho is strong, very strong. He's one of the top few captains in Gotei 13. Also, I don't think any captain would be as stupid as to challenge his fellow colleague to such a duel. The posture of the corpse looks like any other corpse, but if you look closely, there are a few places where it looks somewhat unnatural. There is also no trace of Aizen-taicho's zanpakto. I'll rule out the possibility that that sword over there is Aizen-taicho's. For one, there are no hand or arm wounds to show that he had been disarmed. What's more, Aizen's zanpakto looks nothing like that. I definitely wouldn't say that that sword is just an ordinary sword. Ordinary swords cannot withstand the reiastu of a captain-classed wielder. Plus, the zanpakto's abilities are needed if one intends to fight another shinigami… especially if the enemy is a captain… I don't think this is a murder, Ojou-sama… It's more like a set-up.'_

'_I see. So you feel that way as well…' Kazane sighed and rubbed the back of her head. 'Your observation and deduction skills are better than mine, anyways. I'll have to trust your judgment on this one.'_

'_Please, you can be better than me when you really want to,' Ichiru grinned. His face then turned serious. 'You seem to know something. Perhaps… it's related to this incident?'_

_Kazane looked at him. 'Ai… It seems like I let something slip up. What did I do to make you suspicious?'_

'_Answer my question, Ojou-sama,' Ichiru was impatient._

'_You have no need to know at this moment and time,' Kazane turned away. She added in a whisper, 'I don't want your life to be going down the drain like this…'_

_And with that, she flash-stepped away to some place._

_Ichiru grabbed a fistful of his hair. 'Ojou-sama! And she knows that I'm by far inferior to her in flash-steps… Now I'll have to trace her and make my way there using my incredibly slow flash-steps!'_

_End of Flashback…_

'Kyouraku-taicho, expect some conflicts in Gotei 13 to occur over the next few days. The vice-captains of the 3rd and 5th Division have already… you get what I mean. Let's go, Ichiru,' Kazane pulled Ichiru's arm and they flash-stepped away

'How nice of her to tell me that little snippet of information,' Kyouraku smiled. 'Boy, things are going to get quite hectic until Kuchiki's execution is over…'

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Day of execution… In the Central 46 chambers…

'As I thought… all the people here have been killed…' Kazane wiped a hand across a nearby table. Flakes of blood stuck to her palm. 'They died more than 3 days ago… Such a thing happened yet no one noticed and the people outside continued to follow the orders issued…'

'What… But Kuchiki Rukia's execution date was announced less than 3 days ago! There's no way-' Ichiru caught Kazane's piercing look. 'Unless… There were people in here as well… And they were issuing orders… Including the order to execute Kuchiki Rukia much earlier than planned… There were people behind the scenes…'

'Yes… I just came here to check this out. There's no more need to stay here any further. Let's go, Ichiru,' Kazane turned around. She stopped short and looked up at the entrance. 'Is that… the 10th Division captain? Hitsugaya Toushiro?'

The young captain frowned at her. 'What are you doing here, ryoka?' He saw the dead bodies lying around and gasped. 'Did you do that?'

'No, someone did the job before I came in… not that I expect you to believe me though…' Kazane walked up the stairs.

'That man with you is one of the Gotei 13, isn't he?'

'I have no obligation to answer your question. By the way, you should focus on the situation that seems direr… If you wait any longer, your little friend may not make it… alive…' Kazane brushed past him with Ichiru just behind her. 'I remember her name was… Hinamori Momo…' Hitsugaya gasped and turned toward the other end of the room where the other entrance was. The faint pulse of Hinamori's reiastu was flowing erratically.

'Bravo… Kazane…' Someone said from the other door at the other end of the room. Kazane turned around swiftly to see Aizen standing there. Aizen smiled, 'I should have known… that you would inevitably find out about me before others have… It seems like I was right.'

'I'm not dealing with you for now, Aizen. Let's save our little conversation for later, when we actually draw swords and face each other seriously,' Kazane swept her hair back and turned around again. She whispered to Hitsugaya, 'Are you sure you should be standing there? Every second wasted is life-threatening to Hinamori-san.'

'Damn!' Hitsugaya drew his sword to Aizen. Kazane and Ichiru left the chambers using flash-step to avoid the commotion.

'Is it wise to leave him there like that?'

'He'll survive, at least. I'm counting on Unohana to get there in time,' Kazane flash-stepped off quickly, leaving Ichiru struggling with his weak flash-steps.

'Not again!' Ichiru wailed.

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On the streets, somewhere in Seireitei…

Renji carried Rukia as he dashed through the streets, weaving in and out of the row of houses. He panted heavily, trying to catch his breath while running.

'Renji, you're tired. Put me down and rest for a sec,' Rukia pleaded gently.

'I can't. The other captains are probably catching up to us. I better bring you to somewhere safe before we're caught,' Renji said through breaths. 'Whoah! That ryoka girl!'

'Huh?' Rukia turned around and saw Kazane standing, alone, in their path. Her hand was clenched tightly around her zanpakto. 'Kazane… Is that you?'

'It's been a while, Kuchiki Rukia,' Kazane looked up with cold eyes. She held her zanpakto in front of her and whispered, 'Begin your icy reign, Haruka.'

Renji gulped at the lethal weapon that transformed in front of him. He stuttered, 'Hey, I know you want to protect Rukia but please don't wave that thing around, Miss Ryoka. I know that it's important to have a weapon on standby at all times but that thing… if you can't control it properly then our heads will be, well, sliced off.'

Kazane gave a laugh. 'Don't be ridiculous. What you're implying is as if I came to protect Rukia.'

'What?' Renji's eyes bulged out. 'You mean you're… the enemy?'

'You could say that,' Kazane mused. She pointed her scythe to Rukia, leaving only a few inches' gap between the sharp edge and Rukia's face. 'I suppose you don't know why I'm thinking of killing you?'

'Why… do you have a grudge against me?' Rukia breathed out.

'It's not really a grudge. Well, at least the main reason isn't. You see, you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps maybe if you weren't the one to lose your shinigami powers and get Urahara-san's gigai, I wouldn't even have bothered with you. But you have the misfortune of being the vessel, and I have the misfortune to be bestowed with the duty of protecting the vessel until the time is ripe, so I really don't have anything to say,' Kazane told her. 'Now that the vessel has fallen into the hands of the enemy, I have no choice but to retrieve it or to destroy it. As you probably know, if there are enough active brain cells in your brain, I'm not the one to run around Soul Society with a useless sack of potatoes on my back and the whole Gotei 13 on my trail. You should know what decision did I chose.'

'Then why are you hesitating?' Rukia asked boldly. She looked up at Kazane's face and was surprised to see a tear trickling down her cheek.

'I have every reason to kill you. If you are allowed to live, more will die. The thing in you is too dangerous to be allowed to exist any further. Your death will definitely benefit others. What's more, you have killed someone that's important to me. You have also endangered the lives of me friends. If you weren't involved, if you hadn't chosen to become a shinigami, then they would still be alive, still have the chance to live a normal life. But I can't kill you… My hands won't obey me…' Kazane had a look of anguish on her face. 'Why must you be so important to that man? If you weren't related to him, I would have just killed you without a second thought! Why… must that man treasure you so?' Kazane was crying now. Her hand shook and it fell to her side. 'There's no delaying the inevitable. Sooner or later, someone will come to claim that thing from you. If I don't kill you now, everything will fall into the worst-case scenario. But I just… can't…'

'Kazane,' Rukia reached out to touch her arm but Kazane pulled away sharply. Rukia was hurt.

'You don't even act like a noble, heck! What in the world made him love you so?' Kazane gave a laugh.

'Who are you referring to? Just tell me already!' Rukia struggled to get out of Renji's arms.

Kazane didn't reply. She was staring right ahead, gasping in horror. Rukia and Renji turned as well, to see the 9th Division captain standing there.

'Tousen Kaname, are you planning to betray Seireitei, just like what you did to your captain a hundred or so years before?' Kazane asked sharply. 'Is that your meaning of justice?'

'My eyes will only follow the path without any bloodshed. That is the true justice,' Tousen said before he threw up a long ribbon. It wrapped around he and Renji as well as Rukia and they disappeared in a flash of light.

'Wait!' Kazane shouted, running forward, but they were already gone. Kazane cursed out loud, clenching her scythe harder.

'_Ouch, you're holding me too tight, Kazane!'_

'_I'm sorry. I'm just so frustrated right now. Just bear with this a bit longer. I'll do the real release soon. I'll show him the true power of Fuyusuisei.'_

'_It's been a while since I've been in my true release. I'll be looking forward to that…'_

**Hey there! That's it for this chapter. I'm so sorry if you feel it's a bit confusing to you. I've tried to make it as clear as possible but still add a little air if mystery to it. Please review and tell me what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello dear readers! Sorry for the late update. I'm at a lost at what to write and I'm just so busy the past week. My teacher's been dumping homework like there's no tomorrow and the New Year's almost here. You know what that means? MAJOR CLEANING!!! Please RXR! **

In Seireitei, somewhere near Soukyoku Hill…

'_Captains, vice-captain, and temporary vice-captains of the Gotei 13… as well as the ryoka… This is Kotetsu Isane-fukutaicho of the 4__th__ Division speaking. Can everyone hear me? An emergency situation within Seireitei has occurred. Please listen carefully. Everything I'm about to say is all true…'_

Kazane paused in her flash-steps and listened to the announcement. She mused out loud, 'Tenteikurra? And with so many people too…' She shook her head. 'Their ability is of no concern to me. At least I know their location now… That Aizen… I won't let him get the Hougyoku!' She flash-stepped away to her destination.

'_Kazane, look!'_

'What?' Kazane looked down and saw the clash between the 3 captains, Yamamoto, Ukitake and Kyouraku. Kazane was slightly stunned.

'_Amazing sight, no? And all the blazing flames too…'_

'_Please, you know that I'm scared of fire…' _Kazane turned away and picked up her pace.

'_AIzen will make you think of fire, you know? His ability of hypnosis is very strong.'_

'_I know.'_

'_Be prepared then, Kazane.'_

'_But I'm still scared of fire. No matter what, my greatest fear is fire. Fire robbed me of my human life and my family. That horrific scene… I'll never be able to see that without breaking down…'_

'_That… is your greatest weakness then… Let's hope that he didn't dig far enough to find out that little snippet of information…'_

'_I doubt that.'_

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On Soukyoku Hill…

The long blade was about to reach Rukia… But it did not.

Kuchiki Byakuya was in debt to his ex-fiancée, not because she was the main reason why he had become a strong captain, but because she had helped save his adopted sister by partially healing his wounds so that he was strong enough to reach her in time.

He was in serious debt.

'Nii-sama!' Rukia shook her brother frantically. 'Why did you save me, Nii-sama!'

Aizen smirked and rested his hand on his zanpakto, drawing it slightly.

A scythe was swiped across the air, making a deep slash where Aizen was standing. Kazane landed on the sandy ground with ease and held her scythe in front of her.

'Your opponent is me, Aizen. Don't go around attacking those that aren't worth your time,' Kazane hissed.

'You're right. Those two aren't worth my time. Then I suppose you are?' Aizen turned towards her and drew his zanpakto.

Kazane didn't answer. She threw the scythe into the air and shouted, 'Destroy the world with your pain and sorrow, Fuyusuisei!' The scythe came back as a long and extremely sharp sword made of transparent ice. She threw it up into the air again. 'Morph!' This time, the sword came back as a pair of swords. They rested comfortably in Kazane's hands, the long ribbon that connected them together floating behind her. The sword in her left hand was as long as her length while the one in her right was barely longer than her lower arm.

'Is that your zanpakto's true ability?' AIzen asked. He saw her nod slightly. 'I thought so. The previous version… Haruka, was it… had no particularly special moves. It seems like this version is rather interesting.'

'Please don't say it as if my zanpakto is a brand of electronic gadgets. Fuyusuisei and Haruka are different parts of my soul, but we are one and the same,' Kazane raised her shorter sword in front of her and the longer sword above her head. The swords were emitting an icy mist and gleamed in the light. She turned to Rukia who was hugging her brother. 'So… did you hear?'

Rukia looked up at her. 'That thing you were looking for is that thing in his hands… I think…'

'I see. Then I suppose nothing I say can ever make up to the pain I've caused you,' Kazane sighed. 'I'll get the Hougyoku back and we'll all return to the Human World, whether they allow us or not.'

'Such brave words for such a little princess. Oh, wait. You aren't a noble princess anymore, right, Jyuusan-hime?' Aizen taunted.

'Jyuusan…hime?' Rukia gasped. 'The princess that was known for her intelligence and swordsmanship?'

'And your darling brother's ex-fiancée…' Ichimaru contributed.

'That can't be!' Rukia turned to Kazane who showed no recognition of the information that was just shared.

'Don't try to delay this any further, Aizen. If you won't give the Hougyoku back to me now, I'll just retrieve it from your cold, lifeless body!' Kazane disappeared and reappeared behind Aizen.

'Whoah, so fast!' Aizen pretended to be astonished. He whirled around to meet her deathly sword with his own. Then, with a swift flick of his hand, Kazane's short sword flew away into the air.

'AI, she's being overpowered so fast?' Ichimaru grinned.

Kazane pulled on the long ribbon and the short sword came hurling back to her. Aizen had to flash-stepped to get away from the incoming sword. Catching the sword by the hilt, she slammed both swords into the ground. A wave of ice erupted from the ground and charged towards him. Then, she flash-stepped to behind him to trap him.

'Ah… Such a scary move…' Aizen blocked her wave of ice with one hand and used his zanpakto to block Kazane's swords. Aizen smirked, 'Too bad I got an even scarier one…'

'What-'

'Hado 90, Kurohitsugi!'

A pitch black box formed around Kazane and disappeared a few seconds later. Kazane emerged with wounds covering every part of her body. She leant against her long sword and struggled to remain upright.

'Oh, that one was a near success. It reached nearly 90% of its power. Even the large sized Komamura couldn't withstand a failure; imagine what would happen to a little girl that got hit by one that's near its full potential?' Aizen put on a thoughtful expression. 'But I admire your strength. Not everyone is able to face a Hado in its 90s and still remain standing.'

'Shut… up!' Kazane breathed out angrily. She coughed out some blood and fell to her knees, still leaning on her zanpakto.

'Someone needs to learn how to control her tongue. Maybe I shall do the honors…' Aizen drew his zanpakto.

'What are you planning to do?' Kazane asked but she had a vague idea what he was planning.

'Your worst nightmare… shall now appear before your eyes…'

Kazane gasped as the vision filled her head.

_Fire… Everywhere I turn, there's fire. It's so… terrifying! I saw the charred bodies on the floor and the broken and lifeless corpses littering the floor. I saw my father's face staring up at me. This is the fire… that is about to rob me of my life! I got down on my knees and tried to shake_ _my father awake, although I knew that it was fruitless. Just then, I sensed someone behind me._

'_Onii-sama!' I exclaimed. My brother nodded weakly. I knew something was wrong. I looked closer into his face and saw the badly burnt marks on his face. His clothes were on fire and the flames licked at his bare skin, burning his beautiful body away._

'_Onii-sama!' I screamed. I tried to put out the fire by patting it but I only burnt my hand. I whimpered in pain but did not stop. My brother suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me into the fire. I could feel the scalding heat on me, devouring me completely. I tried to scream but no sound came out. Through my partially closed eyes, I could see him collapsing onto the floor. The fire continued to burn me and I struggled to get away from it._

_This fire had robbed me of my family. Now it'll rob me of my life as well._

_Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw someone in a black kimono standing next to me. He had glasses and chestnut brown hair._

_My last image of my human life was of a man that would later on become my mortal enemy._

_How Ironic._

Kazane gasped heavily. She hugged herself, trying to get rid of the horrifying image imprinted in her head.

'The man that was standing next to me in that fire… was you?' Kazane asked through her silent tears.

'Yes, I was assigned to do a little job there and happened to find a lot of ghosts hanging around in that burning building. I was instantly attracted to your reiatsu because it was so strong and well controlled. Aren't you honored?' Aizen asked mockingly.

'It's my misfortune… to have a ******* like you mar my last human image!' Kazane gritted her teeth.

'Now that the little hiccup is quiet, let's proceed to remove it altogether,' Aizen raised his sword. Kazane, unable to stand the severe wounds anymore, dropped to the floor.

'Move and you'll lose your head,' Youruichi's voice sounded beside him. She and Soi Fon had surrounded him.

'Oh? Is that so?' Aizen looked behind her where three guards of the gates were standing. 'Are you able to keep me here like that while fending off those three?'

Just as the situation seemed impossible, the appearance of another giant and a woman on the giant's shoulder made Youruichi smile. 'Kukaku!'

'Yo, Youruichi! I got a little bored so I decided to take a walk!' Kukaku grinned. She turned to her partner, gave a thumbs-up, and chanted a Kido spell. One of the guards was blown away as a result.

'The surveillance cameras didn't capture her approach?' Aizen mused out loud.

Kukaku held out a gold-plated earring. Aizen looked at it with a confused expression.

'It's a communicator with something special on it. Whoever wears it will not be captured by any surveillance camera or any bugs. Kazane gave it to me before she left so that I could make my way here without interference,' Kukaku explained. She looked at the ear ring carefully. 'Her sense of fashion is good, though.'

'Ah, should I eliminate them?' Ichimaru raised his sword, only to be held down by a buxom red-haired vice-captain. 'Oh? Ragiku? Sorry, Aizen-taicho. I've been captured.'

'This is the end, Aizen,' Youruichi said to him.

'What do you mean?'

'Didn't you realize it? You've been completely surrounded!' As if that was their cue, all the available captains appeared on Soukyouku Hill, surrounding the three traitors.

'It's over, Aizen.'

Aizen didn't reply for a while. Then, he smirked

'What's so funny, Aizen?' Youruichi said with a frown.

'I'm so sorry, but… it's time…'

Youruichi looked up into the sky and saw the rip appearing. 'Get away, Soi Fon!' The duo jumped away just in time as a yellow pillar of light encompassed the three captains.

'Im-impossible!' Some of the captains exclaimed. Menos Grande emerged from the rip in packs.

'The negation…' Kazane struggled to stand up. 'Once he's in that… he's gone beyond our reach...' Kazane pushed back the sleeve of her hand and began writing characters on it.

'What are you doing, Kazane?' Youruichi asked sharply.

'I'm doing what I must do!' Kazane said bitterly. The characters on her arms glowed crimson red and flames covered it in seconds.

'Stop it! You know that if you do that, you may die! The rebound is too great for you to handle!' Youruichi protested. She tried to walk to her but was blown back by a strong force. She winced.

'**Kazane, don't.'**

'Why not?' Kazane asked innocently. 'If this means that I can destroy the Hougyoku, why should I stop, Urahara-san?'

'**That isn't worth it, Kazane. Think of the consequences. You may even lose your life.'**

'I've already anticipated long before I arrived here that I may not be able to make it out alive. Don't stop me, Urahara-san.'

'**WAIT!'**

The ear ring on Kazane's ear fell off and disintegrated. She lifted her hand up and a beam of light connected the Hougyoku and her palm.

'How is that possible?' Ukitake exclaimed. 'There's no way that she could do that…'

'The substance that was placed in her more than 100 years ago is made of an unrefined version of the Hougyoku. It has the power… to change reality. She can make the impossible… possible…' Youruichi told them bitterly. 'But that power comes with a price. Every time she uses that power, an equal rebound will be inflicted on her. The higher the price, the greater the rebound will be. That's the condition for that twisted power that was forced into her. Furthermore, the elements of the substance and Kazane's are complete opposites. Apart from the rebound, she also receives additional pain from the clash of elements.'

'I see you have a rather unique power there…' Aizen smirked. Kazane looked up at him and shook her head.

'I'll make you pay for the damage you inflicted on us. I'll have my revenge, for both my brother, Urahara-san and the rest!' The beam of light grew thicker. She summoned the remaining of her energy and chanted, 'Hougyoku, the sister of a part of my soul… Please heed my orders and self-destruct!'

The beam of light grew stronger, and then, it disappeared. Kazane looked stunned. The Hougyoku was still in Aizen's hands. Then, all of a sudden, another beam of light was shot at Kazane. She gasped loudly and was thrown off the cliff.

'Kazane!' Youruichi hastened to get to her. She never did.

A black figure shot across the sky and caught Kazane lightly. He landed next to Youruichi but didn't spare a glance at the noble.

'Ojou-sama!' Ichiru shook the younger girl frantically. The wounds inflicted by the Kurohitsugi were bleeding a lot and the red blood stained his uniform.

'I-Ichiru…' Kazane choked out. She handed him a small remote control with a red button.

The device that controls the worm.

'The pass code is… let the truth of the innocents be shown…' Kazane choked out. She pushed it to him weakly. 'Please… activate the file…'

Ichiru contemplated for a while before typing in the 64 digits into the device. **1205202008052018212008150620080509141415030514201902051908152314**… After punching in the last few digits, he tossed the device aside and hugged her tight. 'Is it really alright, Ojou-sama?'

A tear trickled down her cheek. 'I… can't even save myself. I can never help avenge my brother. But even so… that may be for the best… I'm not suited for this life of hate. I ended up nearly killing myself because of my anger… I caused deep pain to the ones I love… How can I really be the hime that the people respected?' Kazane fell unconscious.

'Ojou-sama!' Ichiru hugged her tightly, crying silent tears.

'Ichiru, please allow the 4th Division members to attend to her,' Youruichi tapped his shoulder lightly. 'If you don't, she may not live through the night…'

'I…' Ichiru hugged her even more tightly.

'You leave me no choice then…' Youruichi punched him on the head. Ichiru was knocked out instantly.

'Great, another one more patient to handle…' One of the healers rolled his eyes.

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In the 4th Division wards…

Kazane woke up with a start, tears rolling down her cheeks. The dream she just dreamt was of fire… and her father's face. She turned her head around and tried to take in the surroundings.

'_Not a detention cell, at least…'_

'_They were discussing that when you were asleep…' Haruka told her. 'The captains advised against it though. Even your boyfriend disagreed that you should be placed in the cell.'_

'_B-BOYFRIEND?' Kazane choked silently. 'Who-?'_

'_The Kuchiki brat, who else?' then came Shiroi's drawling voice._

'_But… why would he…?'_

'_He owes you, don't you remember?'_

'_Yes but…'_ Kazane moved her hand to grab a handful of silky locks but stopped when her hand brushed against a head of smooth hair. She turned her head sharply to see a drooping head resting on the side of her bed with dark hair framing his face. She exclaimed softly, 'Ichiru!'

'_He was worried, you know? He wouldn't let you go and he stayed by your side while you were asleep,' Haruka said._

'_Is that so…' Kazane thought. She suddenly realized something. 'Hey, how did you know that? I thought you could only see the things I thought to you and not anything else?'_

'_I don't know, Kazane. I was bored and when I listened for your voice, I heard the people outside your consciousness talking and it got a bit interesting…' Haruka said nervously._

'_I wonder why's that…' _Kazane got up and picked up a kimono that was lying on a bench beside her bed.

'_Your injuries are not healed yet. The wounds from the Kurohitsugi were especially hard to treat since they had no experience in treating wounds by level 90 Hados. The rebound as well… And there's one thing you should know too. After that crazy thing you did back on the Soukyoku Hill, the thing in your hand disintegrated in you. So… let's say that the thing is all over you but you have no chance of using it.' _

'_Is that so?' _Kazane looked at her palm. The faint scar was still visible and it shone in the light. 'Even so, some scars never do fade. They never will…' Kazane put on the kimono and looked in a mirror nearby. She blanched.

'_What's wrong? It looks quite good on you,' Haruka sniggered._

'_It looks too good on me. The only one that can choose clothes that actually fit and suit me is…' _Kazane grimaced.

'_Why are you so displeased? That Kuchiki brat owes you anyway,' Shiroi shrugged._

'_It's pure silk too,' _she picked at the material.

'_Wait till you see what's outside.'_

'_Huh?' _Kazane glanced out of the window. A carriage was standing there, bearing the Kuchiki clan crest on it proudly. They were looking at Kazane's room expectantly, as if waiting for her to give the signal to pick her up.

'_Wow… I know that he owes you big time but this is going overboard,' Shiroi whistled._

'_I'm so not riding in that. I'll never ride in that,' _Kazane frowned. _'If he intends to repay me, then don't do it materialistically'_

'_Too late, it would seem.'_

Kazane walked out of the hospital ward and crossed to the other end of the wing. She opened the window and jumped off stealthily. Then, after making sure no one had seen her, she flash-stepped to the richer district of Seireitei.

'_Where are you going?'_

'_To see those who are no longer living like I am…'_

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Back in the hospital ward…

Kuchiki Byakuya was hoping for a quite trip to Kazane's room just to watch her sleep on as she had been for the past 5 days. However, he approached her side of the wing only to find chaos.

**Ichiru's POV**

I opened my eyes to the bright sunlight. I yawned. I haven't been able to sleep like that for days. I felt around, expecting to feel the cold and still figure of her, but instead, I felt only bed sheets. I snapped my head up and looked around. She was nowhere in sight. The kimono was gone too. I glanced outside and saw the carriage the Kuchiki head had ordered to assist her still standing there, waiting. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard. She wasn't within a mile's radius.

This was bad, because I take at least 5 minutes to run that far. God knows how far she'll be able flash-step in that duration. I didn't take note of the people that entered the room. I just hollered at the top of my voice, 'OJOU-SAMA! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME!!!'

**Nanao's POV**

I was reading a book entitled 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' when a memory came back to me. It was more than 100 years ago, when I was still a child.

_Flashback…_

'_Excuse me, is Kyouraku-taicho here?' A blond 12__th__ Division girl knocked on the door with her free hand. The other hand was balancing a stack of paperwork that was taller than her._

'_He isn't. You may leave the paperwork on his desk. He'll do it when he comes back,' Nanao pointed to the already cluttered desk._

'_I have a form that needs his approval by today. I'm afraid that my captain won't allow me to step into the 12__th__ Division barracks without it signed.' She fished out a piece of paper from the stack. 'May I wait here till he comes back?'_

'_Sure,' Nanao returned to her reading on the sofa. As there was only one sofa in the room, Kazane sat down next to her and looked at the book she was reading._

'_Tess of the D'Urbervilles?' Kazane noted. 'That book is quite a good story. If I remember correctly, it's a Victorian romance?'_

'_That's right,' Nanao smiled at her. But then, she frowned at little. 'But I find it quite hard to understand and I can't read a few of the words.'_

'_Why not I help you?' Kazane smiled. She took the book from Nanao's hands and began reading it at a smooth and easy pace. She spoke with such understanding, as if she knew every word and line in the book and understood every word in the story._

'_You're good!' Nanao exclaimed. She pointed to a section of the book. 'I'm not sure about this part. Can you explain it to me?'_

_With the same smooth and easy pace, she explained the meaning of the paragraph to Nanao. Nanao gazed up at Kazane with admiring eyes._

_The clock on the wall rang, causing both girls to look up. They glanced at the clock and gasped._

'_It's already do late! I'm sorry, but I have to go. Could you please ask Kyouraku-taicho to sign that form and return it to the 12__th__ Division by the end of today? Thanks!' Kazane hurried to leave._

'_Wait! What's your name?' Nanao called._

'_It's Kazane!'_

_End of Flashback…_

Now Nanao understood why Kazane looked familiar to her. She put down the book and ran to the 4th Division hospital wing. Just as she opened the door, she ran into someone at the door. Barely before she had the time to look at the person, she heard someone scream, 'OJOU-SAMA! DON'T DO THIS ME!'

This was going to take some time.

**Yachiru's POV**

I'm going to visit Kaza-chan today! I'm going to wake her up because Ken-chan wants to fight her! She's going to fight Ken-chan no matter what! I remembered vaguely that in the past few centuries or so, Kaza-chan was one of the few that gave Ken-chan a satisfactory fight! She didn't even draw her weapon!

_Flashback…_

_Ken-chan and I were walking around the Shinigami Academy, trying to find the way out. It was graduation day and the new recruits were barely worth looking at. I jumped up on Ken-chan's shoulder and looked around. I then saw an interesting looking girl standing under a tree, looking bored by all the commotion. She tucked her acceptance letter into the sleeve of her hakama and got up, stretching._

'_Ken-chan! Fight her!' I pointed to the interesting looking girl._

'_Huh?' Ken-chan followed my finger and looked at her. He scoffed, 'She doesn't look much of a fight.'_

'_Fight her! Please, Ken-chan!_' _I whined._

'_Alright, alright,' Ken-chan grumbled. He walked to her and stopped right in front of her. The girl looked up at him with confused eyes and stared at me who was still sitting on Ken-chan's shoulder._

'_Yes?'_

'_Fight me,' Ken-chan grunted._

'_Uh… Fight you… now?' the girl sounded incredulous._

'_When else then?' Ken-chan grabbed her by the collar and tossed her to a training pit that was quite a distance away. Then, he flash-stepped to her. He looked at her boredly. 'Are you planning to sit there all day?'_

'_I'm getting up,' she dusted the back of her hakama and looked at him. 'What kind of fight?'_

'_Freestyle,' Ken-chan drew his sword and held it in front of him. I jumped off him to give him free movement._

'_If you said so,' she sighed and took out a paper fan. Well, at least it looked paper. It looked too stiff to be made of paper alone and you couldn't see light through it. She twirled it around expertly with grace._

'_That puny thing won't last a second against me,' Ken-chan scoffed and dashed to her back. She blocked the attack swiftly and threw it up, missing Ken-chan's face by an inch. Ken-chan sliced through the air with his sword and she dodged it by doing a back flip and catching the fan with her sandals. She spun around, using the fan as a blade. The paper was falling off and I could now see that the fan was actually made of pure steel. The edges glinted and the metal shone in the light. I gulped slightly. That girl was planning to fight Ken-chan with that? She caught Ken-chan blade with her bare hands and twisted it around. Throwing her fan at him, she caught him in a tough spot. I frowned. Ken-chan was strong enough to pull his sword from a little girl, why wasn't he doing it?_

_I saw it then. Ice was forming at his arm, freezing it. His whole arm was frozen and was nearly purple. She had completely cut off his blood flow to his hand._

_Ken-chan caught the fan before it reached his stomach and looked at it carefully. 'Why can't I bend it?'_

'_Because it's designed to seal away all reiatsu fused attacks and decrease the opponent's attacks by 90%. Your power now is 10% of your total strength,' the girl told him. She let go of the blade and I saw cuts and blood on her palm but I only caught a glimpse of it._

'_That doesn't make any difference,' Ken-chan snorted. 'I was barely using 1% of my power to deal with you. Such a cheap trick.'_

'_Then shall we?' she had drawn an ice sword that was very long._

'_Now you're talking my language!'_

_I watched them they spared at full-power for more than an hour, when the girl finally grew bored._

'_Your attacks have a special characteristic. You adapt to your opponents' attack within seconds and come up with a counter attack. That's a good style, especially if the person whom you're fighting has an unpredictable style of fighting. But it also has a flaw,' she began attacking from various angles without giving him time to attack at all. She cornered him and only used sharp slices for attacks._

'_What-?' Ken-chan was struggling to keep up with her moves._

'_My style of fighting, Mugetsu, is sufficient enough to cover for your flaw. What a pity, there wasn't even time for me to use any of my zanpakto's special techniques…' she gave a thrust and knocked Ken-chan's zanpakto away. It landed on the ground a few feet away, stabbing into the ground._

'_Ken-chan lost?' I exclaimed. I stood up from the ground and gaped. 'And so easily too!'_

'_Che! What kind of cheap trick did you use?' Ken-chan growled._

'_Skill and intelligence,' She sheathed her zanpakto and turned around. 'I've been delayed for long enough. Please excuse me.'_

'_Does she mean that I'm not good enough for her? That's it! I'll show her!' Ken-chan screamed out loud. I smiled. It was the right thing to do after all. Ken-chan was happy._

_End of flashback…_

I was reminiscing in the times when Ken-chan smiled like that when I bumped into someone else. Then, I heard a loud yell.

'OJOU-SAMA! DON'T DO THIS TO ME!!!'

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In a graveyard quite a distance away from the main part of Seireitei…

Kazane slipped past the guards at the gate swiftly so that they wouldn't notice her. She walked up the aisle and stopped by a particular grave. It was pure white and it had a flower engraved on the tombstone. Kazane knelt down and smiled sadly.

'It's been a while, Reiyuu-sensei… Today is your birthday. What a sad coincidence, no?' Kazane said to the wind. 'So many years have passed. Have you got rid of your bad habit of smoking? I… haven't gotten past the past. I'm sorry… so sorry…' Kazane broke down and brought her head down to her knees. Tears streamed down as she thought of various events in the past.

_Flashback…_

_Kazane laid in a futon, gazing at the flowers outside blooming. She clutched her blanket tightly as a tear rolled out from the corner of her eyes._

'_Kazane, are you awake?' Unohana Retsu walked in and knelt down beside her. She caressed her soft hair and sighed. 'You haven't spoken ever since we found you. What's the matter? Are you felling unwell?'_

_Kazane got up and hugged the captain tightly. She cried out loud for the first time since she woke up. 'I was afraid that I would cry if I opened my mouth. I can't hold it in anymore, though! I'm so sorry, Unohana-sensei! You must be feeling more in pain than me, yet I've done nothing but cause you trouble! I'm so… so sorry…'_

'_Kazane…' Unohana held the girl's crying face and landed a peck on her forehead. 'Don't hold anything in, just cry all you want. There's no wrong in crying, my dear.'_

'_Crying won't raise her from the dead…' she mumbled through her tears. 'That's why sensei never bothered with tears. When sensei's fiancée died, sensei never shed a tear because that didn't do any good. I want to be as strong as sensei, both physically and mentally. She's been my goal ever since I first met her, even though I never said it out loud. Now that she's gone, I don't have anyone to look up to. I've lost my most important person in my life. How can I continue living on?' Kazane cried even harder._

'_My dear…' Unohana hugged the girl and sighed. 'Nobles live such terrible lives.'_

**Scene change…**

'_How strange… I see you here in my ward again. I thought that after Reiyuu's crazy training, you wouldn't come here anymore…' Unohana smiled._

_Kazane smiled back. 'I would have chosen to stay in a public ward, but Urahara-taicho insisted that I stay here under your care. I thank you for your care and time.' She raised her bandaged hand. 'Is there any way that this can be removed?'_

'_I'm afraid not. It was fully lodged into your hand by the time we could examine you. A thick shell had formed around it and we were afraid to try other methods of removing it in fear of killing you.'_

'_I see… Then I'll have to deal with it for life then…' Kazane lifted the hand and looked at it from different angles._

_The door slammed opened and a young black-haired adolescent barged in. He bowed at Unohana hastily and made his way to Kazane. He knelt down and stared. And stared and stared. The tension between the three grew. And it kept growing until Unohana couldn't stand it anymore._

'_I'll be in my office doing paperwork. Enjoy yourselves…' she got up and left in a hurry._

_The two continued staring until Byakuya finally broke the silence._

'_What the hell happened?' He growled through his teeth._

'_Mind your language, you're a noble, remember?' Kazane replied in an annoyed tone._

'_Don't give me that! Tell me now, why are you in a first-class ward, injured? Did something happen in the 12__th__ Division?' Byakuya was literally spitting fire._

'_Didn't I tell you before? There's no need to worry about me. Accidents happen all the time, especially in the 12__th__ Division. Urahara-taicho insisted that I be under Unohana-taicho, that's why I'm here instead of a normal ward,' Kazane told him with an exasperated sigh. 'What are you doing here anyways?'_

'_I'm a noble! Don't talk to me that way.'_

'_Gee, you certainly don't act like one…' She rolled her eyes._

'_Kazane,' Byakuya called her name seriously. 'Tell me what happened.'_

'_I'm afraid that's confidential. If you probe any further, I have the right to detain you for probing into confidential issues.'_

'_Argh!' He punched the floor hard. A dent was made._

'_I suppose that 4__th__ Division will be charging that to the Kuchiki clan?'_

'_Why… You've changed so much, Kazane. It's almost as if I don't know you anymore…' Byakuya looked down._

_Kazane looked at him. She patted his silky hair and lifted his head up. 'Byakuya, I'm no longer a noble. I don't like to say this, but nobles are one of the most loneliest and saddest people out there. Regardless, the time I spent with you were undeniably the best of my few years in Seireitei. Live on that happiness for me, Byakuya, as I no longer can. I'm going ahead to pursue my goal. You should do the same. Don't remain caught in the past.'_

'_How can I?' he yelled loudly._

'_You can. You are strong. You can surely get past all of this. Don't ruin your life because of me. Please, I beg of you…' She pleaded. She stroked his hair with care._

_Byakuya gulped and paused for a moment. Then, without warning, he threw himself at her and hugged her tightly._

'_Bya… kuya?' Kazane asked nervously. 'What are you doing?'_

'_Just let me stay like this for a little longer, Kazane…' he mumbled in her hair. He picked up a strand of her hair. 'I like Kaza-chan's hair the most. It's more beautiful than my own. Hey, if I promise you to get on with my life as a noble, will you keep your hair long? I'd like to see it again in the future, when I'm the Kuchiki clan head. Keep it long for me until then, okay Kaza-chan?'_

'_Of course…'_

**Scene change…**

'_Ah! Look! There's Hirako-taicho!' one of Shinji's rabid fan girls screamed. 'Kya! He's looking so hot!'_

'_No way, Hiroshi's even hotter. Look, she's coming over now!' one of Kazane's rabid fan boys yelled._

'_Let's have a face down! If your Hiroshi wins, I'll never scream for Hirako-taicho ever again. If my Hirako-taicho wins, you'll never speak of Hiroshi ever again!' the girl screamed._

'_Deal!'_

'_Since when did we become contestants…?' Kazane frowned._

'_Afraid?' Shinji leaned over her shoulder and reached out to grope her._

'_No. you heard?' Kazane threw him off with a judo move._

'_It's rather hard not to hear that exchange…' Shinji grinned sheepishly._

The BIG DAY!

'_Alright, the first part of the contest is 'SMILE!' You must show off your prettiest smile and see how many people faint because of it!' The girl, whose name is still unknown, announced. 'Hirako-taicho, please!'_

_Shinji flashed a grin and his fan girls literally melted. The girl grinned in triumph._

'_Hiroshi, please!'_

_Kazane hesitated for a while before flashing one of her cute smiles. Both the male and females watching gasped and fainted. The males due to their hearts shattering due to the lack of confidence to date her now, while the females because of their envy._

'_Get the 4__th__ Division! The people of the 5__th__ Division have all fainted!' One of the spectators yelled._

'_Oh no! How could this have happened?' The girl cried._

_In the end, the contest was called off because the people of the 5__th__ Division valued their lives too much to see the two contestants in the next part of the contest._

_Swimming suits._

_End of flashback…_

Kazane stayed in her knelt position and played with her hair absentmindedly. She didn't look up when she said to no one in particular, 'I knew you'd come. I was waiting for you for a long time…'

'Kazane.'

'Byakuya. Nice to see you… it's been more than 100 years since we had a proper heart-to-heart talk…'

**Oh… I'm finally done!!! I know this chapter is kinda weak but please forgive me for that!!! I hope I can update faster next time. Until then…**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the late update. Well, actually I updated earlier than the last chapter… I think. Hope you enjoy the chapter. **

In the graveyard…

'It's been a while, hasn't it?' Kazane smiled. She stood up and started walking around to the other graves.

'Why are you here?' Byakuya tailed her.

'That's cold. I've been in a mini coma and the first thing I hear from you when I wake up is a demand… Why can't I be here?' Kazane looked at him but didn't break her stride.

'Only nobles can enter this place. There's no way you can enter… legally…' Byakuya sighed.

'There's no need for me to answer …'

'You've always been the reckless one.' He shook his head disapprovingly.

'You were the rash one… but I see that's not the case now.' She giggled and looked forward. 'We've both matured greatly since we last met. I hear you have a sister now? Surely she's not your biological sister.'

'She's my sister-in-law.' Came his stoic reply.

There was shock written on her face. Then it melted into sadness and… relief? She smiled and looked down. 'I see. That's good. I'm glad that you've moved on.'

'Is that how you really feel? Aren't you angry or sad that I wasn't faithful to you?' He grabbed her upper arm and turned her around harshly.

'No.' Her reply was cold. 'I wanted you to live as a noble for me. Marrying is an inevitable event that was bound to happen sooner or later. What I'm worried about is whether you were faithful to your wife, not me.'

'What…?'

'It's pointless to marry someone you don't know or don't like. It's even more pointless to marry someone you can't remain faithful to, regardless of the relationship between them. If you weren't faithful to her… then I really pity that noble that married you.'

'She wasn't a noble. She was a girl I met in Rukongai…'

'Huh?' Kazane stared at him. She smiled, 'So you decided that breaking the rules once in a while is okay, huh?'

'No! I really liked her. But… my love for her and my love for you are two entirely different things. I don't feel the same way when I'm with her! I don't feel the same way when I do this!' He pulled her close and kissed her on the lips.

_He kissed her straight on the lips._

'Bya-!' Kazane struggled to push him off. He only clung harder to her.

SLAP!

Kazane slapped him on the cheek. He broke off and looked at the red-faced and flustered girl who had the guts to slap him. She looked with tears in her eyes. 'Why did you do that? I tried so hard and failed so many times to prevent myself from breaking down whenever I heard your name or saw your face and you just destroyed what I've worked so hard to achieve by- by!'

'I don't want you treat me without feelings. I know that in your heart, you still have feelings for me. Don't hide them!' Byakuya reached out to grab her again but Kazane slapped his hand away.

'Don't you understand that we can never be together? What part of that fact can you not understand?' Kazane yelled at him. 'We aren't meant for each other. No matter how deep our feelings for each other are, we can never be together!'

'Hisana wasn't a noble. If I can bend the rules then, I can surely bend the rules again!'

'Oh, so Hisana-san was just a test subject? To see if you can bend the rules to accept a commoner so that you could accept me into your clan as your wife?' Kazane raised a hand to slap him again but he caught her hand.

'You know that's not what I mean,' he shook his head and pulled her hand down. 'My love for you and Hisana are different but I still love you both, nevertheless. But… just loving isn't enough. I want… no, I need… to have you as my wife! How can I live my days knowing that my ex-fiancée is living healthily and has the possibility of loving someone else?'

'You are so selfish, Kuchiki Byakuya! This is all about you, isn't it? You need, you want, you can't bear giving me away!' Kazane yanked her hand away and walked back a few steps. 'I've given you the chance to start anew and have a proper noble life but you just won't give ME the chance! What's so bad about letting me live my life the way I want?'

'I want you even if it means giving up my status of a noble. I want to-'

'There you go again! You want, you want, you want! Want is different from need. You can live without your wants. You don't need me to live your life. I'm not someone magical medicine that you need to take on a daily basis to live!'

'I've waited 100 years to marry you. Are you going to make me wait another 100, 200 years?' Byakuya stepped forward while Kazane backed away a few steps.

'Your relationship with me has ended long ago! Don't look for me anymore!' Kazane turned and ran at breakneck speed that strained his eyes to follow her.

'Wait!' He made to flash-step after her but a stinging pain on his shoulder made him stop and look at what was hindering him. A shiny silver needle was stuck into his shoulder blade and a purplish substance stained it. He felt the drug take effect and fell to his feet. Through his hazy mind, he remembered the small bit of information Kazane had shared with him long ago.

'_XXX is an organic herb that causes the taker to fall into a short and dreamless sleep. It is commonly used to knock out patients who have woken up in the middle of surgeries or any medical procedures that requires the patient to be unconscious. It has little side effects… apart from the interesting fact that those that have allergies to this herb will break out in hives the moment it touches the body. It commonly pounded and applied on a needle to administer. Some use it to knock out unsuspecting victims to rob them while they're asleep. Due to that reason, the medical companies in Soul Society only allow the 4__th__ Division and a few other trustworthy medical clinics to purchase the drug. However, for some reason, they aren't guarded pretty well. It's rather easy to sneak a few needles of some healer's healing kit. It comes in handy when you can't seem to sleep and are in dire need to get some sleep for the day ahead.' Kazane showed the older boy a needle with purplish stains on the tip. She poked him lightly with it and he felt the world spinning. She caught him and laid him down on a futon. 'Good night, Byakuya.'_

'Why… what happened to you over the years that caused you to hate me so…?' He mumbled as he felt his conscious slip away

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**Ichiru's POV**

On the streets…

I looked around desperately to spot the blond head in the crowds. She was nearby, I knew it. It seems like she was moving quite slowly… Slow enough for me to catch. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a curtain of blond hair disappear into an ally.

_There!_

I pushed people out of the way hastily to get to the alley before she disappeared. I felt the cold mist pouring out gently from the alley. It raised goose bumps on my skin and it was as if it was telling me to keep away. I persisted, nevertheless. When I finally got to the alley, I felt the cold mist coming at me at full blast. I pulled my cloak closer to me even though it did no good.

'I… Ichiru? Is that you…?' the figure on crouching on the floor whispered. I sighed and knelt down beside her, using my cloak to cover her.

'What happened? You… lost your control over your powers totally. It's spilling out…' I shivered as the mist grew stronger. Kazane was crying, her blond hair over her face and her kimono rumpled. I was instantly angry at the person who made her become like this. I had a clear idea who.

'I'm sorry. I'm just so messed up. Give me a moment, Ichiru-kun. I'll just tidy myself up before going back with you…' Kazane swept back her hair and tried to straighten her kimono. She hastily wiped away the tears on her face and got up. I took a step forward to help her stabilize herself. She raised a hand to her forehead and groaned softly.

'A headache?' I questioned. She nodded and started to walk but fell over when she took the first step. I held her up, peering into her face. 'Ojou-sama? Ojou, are you alright?'

Her mouth opened to let out a silent scream and she fell to her knees. Clutching her head, she let out inaudible screams and bent over. I lifted her head to examine her face but regretted it immediately. Looking back at me in the eyes was a pair of black eyes with golden pupils. Fear clutched me tightly. I felt my chest constrict and I wanted to scream.

'Shut up before you alert half the population in this god-damn place, Ichi.' The raspy voice that certainly did not belong to her said to me just low enough for me to hear. I shut my mouth and stared at Kazane. That wasn't her. It most definitely isn't her at all. Those eyes gave me a terrible feeling, as if I was facing a Hollow. Do Hollows even have eyes? In a split second, I was lying on the floor and Kazane was sitting on my stomach, a hand tight around my neck.

'Not very smart, Ichi. And I thought bodyguards like you would have better reflexes… and a better stomach for stuff…' the words that came out of Kazane's mouth were harsh and raspy. Kazane never talked like that. Her voice never sounded like that either, even when she had the worst of her sore throats. Something possessed her! Kazane's face showed boredom and anger at my unresponsive face. Her hand around my neck grew tighter and I choked, clawing at her hand desperately.

'Finally, a rational response from you. I thought you had already died and this was just a fake body or something…' she snorted. She looked at me again. 'What is it? Do you feel scared? Your precious mistress is currently holding a knife – well, actually a hand- at your neck and it seems as if a ghost or something possessed her. Do you feel scared? Intimidated? Come on, tell me.'

'Who are you?' I managed to choke out.

'Me? I'm Kazane, if you haven't noticed. I'm a part of her that only a few know… and it has always been like that, ever since I was awoken.' She raised her hand and looked at the pale patch of skin on her palm. 'This substance woke me up from my sleep that was intended to last for all eternity and I'm not regretting that I woke up. Listen up you,' she leaned closer to me, so close that our faces were almost touching. I blushed furiously. 'I like Kazane as a sister. We three are like sisters and we have sisterly instincts. We don't want Kazane to ever get hurt. You saw what happened when Byakuya said the wrong things to her. As much as she seems strong on the outside, as much as she seems mentally stable on the outside, it doesn't change the fact that she will collapse like a pillar of dried spaghetti noodles when you prode it in the wrong way. You try hurt Kazane in anyway and I'll see that you'll never see daylight ever again.'

'What… do you mean? I'd never hurt Kazane –I mean, Ojou-sama. She is…' I couldn't continue on.

'Fuyu and I both know how you feel towards her. For some reason, Kazane is awfully oblivious when it comes to relationships… Anyway, back to the point, you were planning on confessing, right? Before she goes back to the Human World with her dear friends, you want to tell her you feelings and expect an answer from her too… am I right?' she growled.

'What?' I felt my heart accelerate. That was an untouchable subject! How did she find out about how I felt about her…?

'I know that you've always felt a pull towards our dear Kazane. She's the woman of your dreams and you've always liked her since you first spied on her. That's why you took up the job of being her bodyguard –to get closer to her so that you could protect and love her from a distance. Don't try to deny it, Ichi. Somehow, you feelings progressed over the years and it has turned into something undesirable,' the grip loosened slightly, but I still could not breathe freely. 'Let me tell you this straight. Don't confess to her.'

'What?' I gasped and tried to sit up. She slammed my head back down hard.

'Shut up! Let me just explain to you due to your deficient and slow brain. She likes Byakuya and Byakuya only. However, being the incredibly generous and kind girl she is, if you tell her how you feel, she'll definitely try to return the feelings. Do you know what'll happen then? No? Let me tell you then. Since she only likes Byakuya, she'll be unable to return your feelings sincerely. She doesn't want to hurt you and yet she doesn't want to love anyone but Byakuya. She'll kill herself if you keep piling all the emotional stress on her without even helping remove some of them first. Don't confess. Be content with just watching her from a distance. That is probably the best route for both you and her. The only route, actually, for her to remain alive.'

It was weird hearing all this from the girl I like. Try imagining hearing the person who is oblivious to your feelings teeling you not to confess to her or she'll break down and commit suicide or something. I processesdthe information given and I understood. I want the best for her. It's the same for Kazane and the… personas inside her. It's not about getting what you want, but about ensuring that the person you like is happy. I never thought about it that way before. I've been taking Kazane's kindness for granted. She's always been granting others happiness, yet who gives her happiness? She's helped many achieve their dreams, yet who helps her achieve hers? I understood how stupid I was.

'Damn, time's up already?' she muttered. 'Guess I'll see you around… if you don't heed my advice.'

'Wait! What's your name?' I asked hurriedly.

I saw the grin on her face. 'It's Shiroi. Shiroi-hime.'

'Shiroi… hime…' I said as I caught Kazane's falling body. I looked at her peaceful face and I felt an overwhelming urge to…

No, I can't do any more damage to her. I'll be content with watching her from a distance, like I've always been. Like I've been… how longer must I watch in silence? But then again, how long has she waited in silence? My pain has been nothing like hers. Nothing at all.

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**Two days later… at the Seikaimon gate…**

'Bye Ichigo. I'll catch up with you later,' Kazane smiled at him, waving.

'Are you sure you want to stay here a little longer? The summer break's almost ending and we need to be in time for school and-' he was silenced by her raising a finger to his lips.

'I'll be alright, if that's what you're worried about. I'll definitely come back to the Human World and have a dinner with you and your family. I'll treat.' Kazane smiled.

'O…kay?' he looked reluctant but seemed convinced. He turned to the gate and signaled the rest to follow him. Youruichi gave her one hard look before disappearing into the gate as well.

'They're gone,' Kazane heaved a sigh of relief. She turned to the guards that had mysteriously appeared behind her right after the whole group had left. She folded her arms and glared at them appraisingly. She said in a dangerously low voice, 'Yes?'

'We were ordered to receive and escort you to the 1st Division's captain's meeting room where you will receive judgment by the captains of Gotei 13. You're ordered to wear your uniform,' the guard right in front told her.

'Ha, and I was wondering why they gave me a uniform when I told them that a kimono was enough… alright then, let me get changed first.' Kazane brushed past them and back to the 4th Division hospital wing. 'Can Ichiru come too?'

'Ah, the boy from the 8th Division. There were no specific instructions given so I suppose so…'

'I see…' Kazane disappeared into her room for a few minutes before emerging, wearing the uncustomized basic uniform. She tied her long hair back into a bun and hid her zanpakto in her sleeve, together with a few other mysterious things. Ichiru was called to her side and they walked to the 1st Division barracks with eyes following them right till the end.

'Ojou,' Ichiru hissed. 'They're staring. Aren't you annoyed?'

'No, not really. They're just ignorant people that are completely ignorant of what happened at Soukyouku Hill. Either that or the higher-ups are controlling information,' Kazane replied coolly. 'Just ignore them, Ichiru-kun.'

'Yes…' he tried his best to turn away from the dozen of stares that were boring into the back of his head.

'We're here,' the guard announced as they reached the end of the corridor. A rather ridiculously large door was in front of her, bearing the kanji lettering for 1. He bowed and said, 'You are to enter on your own…'

'Because the door is made of seki seki rocks that drain the hell out of you reiatsu just by touching it?' Kazane gently prodded the door and it slammed opened. 'There, not that hard, right?' The guard just stared as he watched the two figures stride in and the door close behind them.

'Hey, captains of Gotei 13. It's the first time we met as a whole, face to face, isn't it?' Kazane smiled. The captains looked at her and her bodyguard.

'Hiroshi Kazane, we shall begin to access the damage you have caused Seireitei the past few days and determine your punishment,' the old sou-taicho said in his usual commanding voice.

'I see,' she cocked her head to the side. 'I'm already dismissed. Do you still have command over me?'

Yamamoto opened his eye and glared right into her. 'We have come to a conclusion that you intruded Seireitei and fought against our shinigami in aid of Soul Soceity. Therefore, we would like to hear your side of the story before we decide whether you're guilty or not.'

Kazane chuckled. 'In aid of Soul Soceity? You seem to have been mistaken. As much as I'm a shinigami, I detest Soul Soceity, particularly Seireitei. There's nothing for me to gain by aiding them, and I never had the intention to help Seireitei ever. Therefore, this little trip back "home" is merely for my own motives and goals.'

'So do you mean to say that you had no intention to aid us in this rebellion?'

'Did you even listen to what I said?' Kazane folded her arms and rolled her eyes. Kyouraku sniggered but the rest of the captains remained stony-faced.

'Then moving on to the next issue… I want to know what your relationship with Hiroshi Ichiru is,' Yamamoto produced a stack of papers from nowhere and passed them around. 'I have read the records and it stated that you two are siblings. However, the relationship doesn't seem that way. For one, Hiroshi Ichiru hardly treats you as his sister; more like… his boss.'

'That's because I am his boss,' Kazane tapped her foot impatiently. Ichiru looked at her with a worried expression but she ignored it.

'Would you care explaining?'

'Really, I'm already being truthful enough. Anymore and I'll be spilling out my guts…' She rolled her eyes and continued tapping her foot. 'Yes, I'm his boss. He was hired to be my bodyguard a long time ago and apparently the contract states that he is to be my bodyguard for life. Unfortunately, I can't dismiss him or anything because the decision lies in my grandparents.'

'And who are your grandparents?' he fired back at her immediately after the last word left her mouth.

'It's a secret!' she smirked. 'Do you think I'd be letting out so much information about myself all at one shot?'

'No, I admit that that would be stupid.' He sighed as if this conversation had aged him by a few decades. 'The next topic… regarding the "worm" you placed in the main database…'

'I MUST HAVE A SAY IN THAT!!!' Mayuri screeched from his position. He marched forward and pulled out a device. Kazane watched him with interest as her fiddled with something. The device showed them an image of a page in the main database.

'As you can see, this page shows a timer. I'm guessing that this is a timer to control the date where the worm will be activated…'

'Mayuri, why do you even bother guessing when I'm here?' Kazane rolled her eyes for the third time in the room.

'That's why I'm guessing! Knowing you, you probably wouldn't spit out the truth even if I drill holes in you!' He pointed a finger at her.

'You hardly know me, Mayuri. Besides, even if I do tell you, there's nothing you can do. That file is there to stay for all eternity and if you try to erase, move or copy it, the worm will activate and all your precious data will go *poof!' She gestured with her hands.

'File? File? That is a file? You said that it was a worm!'

'Honestly, I think all the hypothesis and guessing you did over the years did something to your ears. I said that if you try to erase, move or copy it, the worm will activate and eat up your data. It is a file, but in the file is a worm that will activate if you temper with it. Really, the next time you do a checkup, remember to check your ears.'

'So… it's a file that will open in –what -next spring?' Hitsugaya did some mental calculation.

'Supposedly… basically, there are two conditions where it can be activated. First is to let you all wait till next spring. The second is for my vital signs to go… well, you know what I mean. However, if I die before spring, the worm will be activated all the same and all that will be left is the file. Isn't that great? That means that you can't execute me till spring!' Kazane made a "V" sign with her fingers and winked. 'I'm so thorough!'

'Enough! Hiroshi Kazane, do you seriously intend to wipe out the whole Gotei 13 database?' Yamamoto was getting ticked off by their senseless argument.

'Seriously, you people must have really bad hearing and terrible comprehension skills. I said that the worm will only be activated if you kill me or try to tamper with the file. Whether the database will be eaten up or remain as it is entirely up to you!' Kazane scratched the back of her head.

'I see. Then I'm afraid that we must take precautionary measures. We will detain you until further notice.' He signaled for the guards to capture her.

Kazane let out a strong burst of reiatsu. The guards feel to their knees, paralyzed by the strong bolt of energy washing over them. Ichiru looked a bit sick and some of the captains grimaced. She looked apologetically at Ichiru before turning back to the sou-taicho. 'I'm sorry, but I made a promise to return to the Human World as soon as possible. I'm afraid I can't stay with you all as a top-security prisoner.'

'I see then. I suppose we'll have to use force then,' he tapped the walking stick cum zanpakto on the floor. 'Hitsugaya-taicho, please capture her.'

'Stay away, Ichiru,' Kazane said before flash=stepping away. In a flash, her zanpakto was released to her scythe state. She crouched down on the floor and eyed the captain who had stepped out with mischievous eyes. 'Hitsugaya Toushiro, is it?'

Hitsugaya released his zanpakto and pointed his sword at her. He charged forward and swung his sword at her. She blocked it and kicked him on the stomach. He stumbled backward a few steps and glared at her. She disappeared at that moment and reappeared behind him. She swung her scythe at his back and he barely managed to block it.

'Is that all, Shiro-chan?' Kazane smirked. 'The difference in power is this great?'

'Shut up!' he swung the chain at her. CLANG! The chain broke in half upon touching the body of her sword. His eyes widened in disbelief. Frowning, he raised his zanpakto and yelled, 'Bankai! Daigen Hyourinmaru!' the wings formed on his back together with the three flowers in the background.

'Ah, did I do something wrong? She expertly dodged an attack from him. Spinning her scythe, she blocked the flurry of ice that came hurling at her. The end product was a few unsuspecting captains getting soaked in ice-slush. Sighing, she flash-stepped again and hit a spot behind him. His Bankai vanished and he dropped to the floor.

'You're clearly inexperienced. A seasoned fighter would know that fighting is futile once their sword could be broken by the opponent. You're still Mada Mada, Shiro-chan!' **(A/N: I took the Mada Mada phrase from Prince of Tennis! Don't sue me for that!)** Kazane swept her hair back and turned to the stunned captains. 'Who's next?'

'Kuchiki-taicho,' Yamamoto said. Byakuya sighed and stepped forward. He drew his sword and raised it to shoulder level.

'Mugetsu?' Kazane laughed. She copied his move. 'Let's see who's the stronger at hand then.'

The first attack was quick. He flash-stepped to her back and stabbed her. Well, at least he thought he did. Kazane's "body" vanished into mid-air. In a split second, his neck was caught in the inner part of her scythe. She drew the scythe closer to his neck, nearly drawing blood. She whispered, 'You fell for the same trick twice now.'

'Please, Kazane. We've had enough patients in the hospital already,' Unohana sighed. Kazane nodded and jumped away. Byakuya took the chance to release his zanpakto.

'Scatter, Senbonzakura,' the sword glowed pink and shattered into millions of pieces. He caught a brief glimpse of her smirk before he directed all the tiny blades at her. They never reached her. Kazane opened her palm to reveal an ice-blue petal that was spinning and glowing brightly. The blades gathered into a long pole and shot at Byakuya. He used his arms to block the attack at the last moment.

'Forgetful and terribly naïve. Did you think that you could defeat me with Senbonzakura when my control over it is far greater than yours?' Kazane rolled her eyes. She closed her palm and the petal disappeared. 'Do you still want to fight me with those arms?'

Byakuya looked up at her. 'I'll fight to the very last breathe. It's my pride, as well as your lost pride, Jyuusan-hime.'

The captains gasped at the statement. Kazane shook her head and smiled. 'Indeed, the pride of a noble will indeed spur you on until you breath your last breathe. Even then, I doubt that your pride will fade. What has my pride have to do with this?'

'Did you forget our childhood?' He growled and took a step forward. 'Did you forget the times we three had together?' he gestured to Ichiru who had his head bowed. 'What happened to the real you, Kazane? The noble part of you that I so admired and strive to become?'

'You haven't changed, Bya-kun. I learnt over the years not to trust people so much. During my time as a shinigami of the 12th Division, I had always thought that Aizen was a kind person, until that day when my surveillance cameras caught what happened… the terrible things he did to the person I had a connection to. I'm sure you know how it must feel to be hidden from the truth and mistaken about a person you thought you knew well. That changed me… and I'm surprised you haven't changed the way I did…'

'Hiroshi Kazane was a noble…?' Ukitake exclaimed. 'But… Hiroshi isn't a noble family or anything…? Unless…'

'It's a fake name. Kazane was the princess of the fallen Hirako clan,' Unohana told them. 'My sister, Reiyuu, was her teacher and I have personally met a few times.'

'Hirako… Kazane? Then Hirako Shinji was-' Kyouraku looked up.

Kazane sighed and flipped a few strands of hair in her face back. 'He's my brother but he doesn't know it. I'd preferably keep it that way.' She glared at Byakuya angrily. Byakuya nursed his arms and looked away.

'Soi Fon-taicho, please,' Yamamoto ignored the commotion and raised a hand. Soi Fon jumped out and drew out her zanpakto.

'Just because you were a noble doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!' she released her zanpakto and flash-stepped forward. Kazane gripped Soi Fon's hand tightly before it touched her chest and threw her back. Soi Fon slammed onto the wall and slid down. She got up and wiped the blood from her mouth. Kazane took her fan and opened it. A golden trinket hung from it and they could see the kanji for 13 imprinted on it.

'I don't want to fight you, Soi Fon,' Kazane lifted the fan to her face.

'You don't have a choice!' Soi Fon attacked her again. Kazane used her fan to block it and spun it around. It twisted Soi Fon's arm and broke off the tip of her sting.

'Your zanpakto has been broken. What will you do?' Kazane stood in front of her. Soi Fon growled and took out a few daggers.

'ENOUGH!' Yamamoto hollered. The two ladies stopped short of their fight and looked at the old man, amazed. He continued, 'I have evaluated enough. Hiroshi Kazane, I am offering you the place as the captain of the 5th Division!'

'What?' Kazane looked at him. 'You've got to be kidding me.'

The eyes of the sou-taicho was dead serious. Boy, she was in hot soup.

**I know that a few elements of this chapter is very confusing, but that adds to the air of mystery!!! You'll find out why Shiroi could 'possess' Kazane soon. I thought of the last part only recently. Isn't Yama-jii terrible? He tricked her into fighting three captains so that he could qualify her to become a captain. Hahas, I'll have a very nice time writing this mini ark.**


	15. Chapter 15

**It's my newest record! 9K words in a chapter! Yay! Sorry I took so long to update. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.**

In the captains' meeting room…

'How… I…' Kazane looked stunned. Ichiru had stepped out from behind the captains to check on her.

'I've evaluated from the past three fights with Hitsugaya-taicho, Kuchiki-taicho and Soi Fon-taicho that your skills are above average and you possess the ability to become a captain. Therefore, I am offering you the place as the captain of the 5th Division,' Yamamoto told her.

'Did you all know?' Kazane turned to the rest of the captains. They shook their head. She sighed. 'And here I was, fighting for my life when I was unconsciously falling into the old man's trick. How depressing. That was totally out of my expectations.'

'That was unexpected… though I knew he had a motive when he chose the captains to go one-by-one instead of attacking all together, 'Unohana chuckled. Kazane glared at her.

'Here, the 5th Division's captain's haori. It was specially tailored for you,' he held out a neatly folded haori to her.

'I didn't even agree to that!' She growled and pushed the haori back. 'I refuse to be a captain! I was dismissed by the Gotei 13 and I will stay dismissed. There's no way I'm going to be a captain!'

'Take the haori, Hiroshi,' Yamamoto pushed the haori back.

Kazane looked away, 'No way, old geezer.'

'Take. It. Now.' He said slowly but firmly.

'Why should I?' she turned her back to the old man and walked to the door.

'Let's make a deal then. You be the temporary captain of the 5th Division. In return, I will fulfill one request as long as it is within my means and it does not threaten the security of Gotei 13,' He kept his hand extended, the haori lying on his palm.

Kazane turned and looked at him. 'Why do you want me as a captain so badly? There's plenty of people out there that have potential. Why me?'

'I believe in your abilities. You will only be a temporary captain. Once the 5th Division is back on track, I'll allow you to return the Human World… alive…'

Kazane stared. 'Then… if I return the 5th Division back to its former state, I'll get to go home unscathed?'

'Together with a request of your choice,' he nodded.

'That sounds good… but the 5th Division? Why not the 3rd or the 9th?' Kazane took a step back.

'I figured it would be best since your brother was the former captain of that Division…' he admitted. Kazane eyed him warily before taking a few steps to him. She reached out and took the haori.

'Deal. Here's my request…'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day in the 5th Division meeting room…

'Hi… I'm Hiroshi Kazane and… well… I'm your temporary captain until the 5th Division gets back on track,' Kazane bowed. She looked around at the members of the Division. 'Okay… so how much do you know about the incident that happened a week or so ago?'

'Very little. No information was given out. We only knew that Aizen and 2 other captains had fled to Hueco Mundo,' the 3rd seat replied.

'I see… where's the vice-captain?' Kazane looked around.

'She's having a check-up. Her mental state isn't very stable so it may take a while before she'll be able to do her duties again,' the 3rd seat replied. 'In the mean time, I suggest you appoint someone as the vice-captain.'

'No.'

'No?'

'No, the vice-captains must have some abilities that deemed her worthy of being a vice-captain. I'll wait till I see her before I make any decisions.' Kazane looked around and saw some displeased faces. 'What is it? Unhappy? Are you having a stomach ache?'

'No! That's not it! How can you, someone we've never seen before, be a captain! We don't even know your abilities… your personality…' one of the angered shinigami complained. 'You could be weaker than us for all we care!'

Kazane felt a smirk forming on her face. 'Is that so? Very well then. Let's have a match. All of you against me at once. I'll leave you to decide whether I'm acceptable or not. Everyone, to the training grounds now.'

The shinigami eyed her warily but complied.

**Half an hour later…**

The poor members of the 5th Division lay on the sandy floor, nearly dying from exhaustion. Kazane was the only one still standing, her zanpkakto still sheathed. She looked around at the shinigami disappointedly. 'I thought Aizen would train you all better. You all clearly lack teamwork and your coordination is terrible. You're quite stupid as well. It's common sense that attacking as a group will allow you to have a higher chance of winning… or perhaps survival. If I was serious in that fight, you all would be seriously injured by now.'

'Stop pushing us so hard!' one of the bold ones sat up. He picked up his zanpakto and got into a fighting stance.

'Name?' she walked to him.

'Arashi Heki, 9th Seat' he replied.

'Poor stance, Arashi-san.' She whacked his elbow and the zanpakto dropped to the floor. 'Weak grip as well. If I just do this…' she swept her feet under him. He had an unpleasant meeting with the ground. 'Your sense of balance is horrible too. Honestly, how did you pass your exams with such lousy fighting skills?'

'Hya!' he picked up his zanpakto and slashed it in the air. Kazane caught it with a finger and broke it easily. 'W-what?'

'You haven't learnt the name of your zanpakto yet… have you?' she cocked her head. 'Judging by you fighting skills, I guess that you got to the seat you're currently in based on Kido only. That's a pretty bad weakness to have, especially if you're assigned to do solo missions. You zanpakto is part of your soul. You should be fighting together. Kido is just a supplement, it will not last you long in a battle.' She tossed the blade back to him. She turned to the rest of the people. 'Who else doesn't know his or her zanpakto's name?'

2/3 of the shinigami raised their hand. Kazane shook her head and groaned. 'This is going to take some time… If people thought the 13th Division was lax, they've got to see this.'

**That night…**

Kazane sat in her office, tackling the massive amounts of paperwork that had accumulated the past few days. There was a knock on the door and it slid open. In came the little captain of the 10th Division.

'Hey, Shiro-chan,' Kazane looked up and smiled at the white-haired captain.

'Don't call me that,' he growled stubbornly.

'What brings you to the 5th Division?' she ignored his statement and smiled some more. 'Surely not just a leisurely stroll, right? It's roughly 10 miles from here to the 10th Division.'

'I came to see how the new captain does her work,' he replied. He walked across the room and stared at her from above the stack of paperwork that was at his nose-level. 'You don't seem to be coping well.'

'Ah… it's just been so long since I've done such paperwork… I'm not that used to writing with a brush either…' she laughed and rubbed the back of her head. 'But the 5th Division has a lot of paperwork to do… maybe that's because there was no one in the office for so long…?'

'These paperwork should have been done by your subordinates. Why are you doing them?' he picked up a few documents and looked through them.

'Ah… they're unavailable right now so I'm doing it for them.' She just laughed.

'Unavailable?' he stared incredulously at her. 'What did you do to them?'

'A bit of serious training. You know, just some stamina training and sparing. They were training all afternoon so they're a bit wiped out right now.' She looked at the work she was doing again. She frowned and stared at it a few more seconds. Finally giving up, she looked up at him and stared with puppy-eyes. 'Could you help me with this part? I haven't done such paperwork in a very long while.'

He sighed and plopped down on the chair opposite of her. 'I knew you would say that. That's why I came here.'

'Aww, that's so touching, Shiro-chan!'

'Stop calling me that!' he glared at her. His eyes travelled down and he examined the bandages wrapped around almost every part of her body. 'What's with those wounds?'

'It's from the Black Coffin and the rebound from using that technique worsened it… I think. It's taking its own sweet time to heal,' she fiddled with the bandages but didn't make much of a deal with it. Neither did he.

Kazane made a new acquaintance that night. Aww, on her first day too.

**The next day…**

'Alright people! Today, we'll be training your teamwork! Get into groups of three and give yourself a number from one to three. When you're ready, come up to get a coloured band. Number 1 will bet blue, Number 2 will get red and Number 3 will get yellow. Once you're done, spread out!' Kazane shouted. The group in front of her complied quickly. Once they were ready, she continued to explain, 'The objective of this activity is to improve your teamwork! No grudges are to be held or you'll get it from me! Alright, as for the instructions… when I shout a colour, you are all to capture as many people of that colour as possible. The other two colours are to cooperate! The people wearing the band of the colour that's being "wanted", you can assist each other in helping to get away. Do NOT hurt each other. Do NOT ignore a particular person! I have a log here that'll record all the activities that will happen. The team that has the least cooperation will have to run 10 laps around Seireitei carrying 10 pounds on each leg!'

Groans were heard. Kazane ignored them and blew her whistle. 'First colour: Red!' there was chaos instantly. The red team tried to get away from the attacking blue and yellow team, while the blue and yellow teams were fighting to secure one lone shinigami that happened to start off in the middle of a crowd of blue and yellow. Kazane shook her head and blew her whistle again. 'Next colour: Blue!'

The yellow started attacking the blue. The red team was trying to recover from the previous attack and was not productive at all. The blue team formed a large group and fended off the rest of the active shinigami. Kazane nodded. 'Good jon, Blue! Next colour: Yellow!'

The yellow scattered like a flock of birds resting on a disturbed tree. The blue split into two and chased after them. The red team tried their best to keep up.

'Blue!'

The large group formed again. Red desperately tried to fight them but no one succeeded.

'Red!'

The red team was utterly defeated.

'Yellow!'

The Yellow team scattered again.

'Red!'

They fought weakly.

'Blue!'

Blue team still remained strong.

'Orange!'

There was a pause in activity. It took them a while to process the information. Red and yellow makes… Instant chaos. The blue team had a shortage in numbers but they worked so well that they were able to contain most of the red and yellow.

That activity took up the rest of the day. By the time it ended, it was dusk. The 5th Division collapsed on the floor and closed their eyes. Kazane was reading the log and tallying the score. She looked up with a grin.

'I have the score!' she announced. The blue team looked around with triumph while the red team looked down, fearing the upcoming punishment. Kazane grinned and turned the results of the activity around. 'No one is the winner!'

'WHAT?'

'DOES THAT MEAN WE ALL HAVE TO DO LAPS?'

'THAT'S NOT FAIR! BLUE TEAM WON FAIR AND SQUARE!'

'5th Division!' Kazane called out with authority. The commotion died down instantly. 'I'll explain to you the results of the activity. Though Blue Team had extrodinary teamwork, they were hopeless when it came to assisting the other teams. The yellow team… well… they were average. The red team's performance seemed to be the worst, but they had a knack for helping each other as the activity progressed. Therefore, no one is the winner!' Kazane picked up a 10 pound weight. 'I would love to give each of you two weights, but sadly, we don't have enough! Therefore, the WHOLE 5th Division will be running the laps together without weights!' Kazane smiled. 'No flash-step allowed! We're to run as a group! Come on, let's go!' she turned and began running. They followed her lead.

That evening, people who visited the 5th Division wondered why there was no one there.

**Next day…**

Kazane sat in her office… again… trying to finish the pile of paperwork that had mysteriously appeared there the night before. She massaged her temple and groaned out loud.

'KAZANE-CHAN!!!' Matsumoto dashed into her office. 'It's time for the special Shinigami Women's Association meeting!'

'Eh… There was a SWA meeting today? I wasn't informed!' She consulted the calendar on the desk.

'Of course not! Come on, let's go!' Matsumoto pulled her arm and dragged her to the secret meeting room.

'Ah?' Kazane wailed. 'But I still got paperwork to do!'

'Don't be a spoilsport, Kazane-chan,' Matsumoto scolded. She opened the door and pushed the girl in. Kazane stumbled in to find several high-ranking female officers as well as the rest of the female shinigamis sitting there, staring at her.

'KAZA-CHAN'S HERE!' Yachiru screamed. She jumped around happily.

'Welcome, Hiroshi-taicho,' Soi Fon nodded.

'Eh, don't call me that. It makes me feel old,' Kazane pouted. There were flashes of light. Kazane blinked, suddenly aware that almost every female in that room had a camera at hand. 'Hey! That's not fair!'

'We shall now proceed with the special interview!' Matsumoto pushed Kazane into a chair and turned it around to face the females. 'Our special report by Soi Fon-taicho, please!'

Soi Fon stood up and cleared her throat. She clicked a button on the computer at her desk and a power point slide came out. It read: "The lives of Hiroshi Kazane".

'What…?'

'We have compiled all the data about the famous women the past decade and found that there were a few that are most likely to be related to Kazane. They are… legendary martial artist, Hana Reiyuu… prodigy software designer, Urahara Yukiko… and the most successful of them all… the stunning singer Yuki Uta. They all look slightly different but they have a few similar traits. For one, all of them as the exact violet shade in their eyes,' Soi Fon pointed to the three women's eyes on the screen. Murmurs of agreement were heard.

'_I told you we should have used contact lenses.'_

'_Too late to regret it now, I guess…'_

'Secondly, they all died an early death…' Soi Fon clicked another button and their date of birth and death showed up. 'And their souls were never found…' Soi Fon announced. She proceeded to explain, 'Hana Reiyuu was the first persona that Kazane took up. She won several international competitions but died 8 years after her debute. The next was Urahara Yukiko. Her last name was obviously derived from the first president of the Research and Development Department, Urahara Kisuke. She was the creator of the Zodiac software program that consisted of all the zodiacs except for the Aries and the Capricorn. It was presumed that she died before she completed the remaining two. Although the software was on par with the current Aries software we're using, they sometime surpass Aries in terms of speed and efficiency, etc. However, being the stubborn person Kurotsuchi is, he didn't want to install the Zodiac system and insisted on continuing the Aries system… Lastly, it's the sensational singer Yuki Uta. She first debuted at 17 and was extremely popular until her death 10 years ago. She sang a number of songs and was awarded many prestigious awards. Her songs were too quite a craze in Seireitei…' Soi Fon admitted sheepishly.

**(Important note! These characters are not real!!! Any matches are purely coincidental! I'm just using these names to help the story progress!)**

'Amazing! I never knew you had such amazing talents!' Matsumoto hung on her tightly. She stared down at her chest. 'Your tits are small though.'

PUNCH! Kazane punched Matsumoto on the jaw and turned away, embarrassed.

'Yup, it's XXX centimeters on that side,' Matsumoto confirmed, announcing that while lying on the floor. 'Her butt size is XXX. Isn't that cute? I mean, she's so petite and so shapely too!'

'MATSUMOTO-SAN!' Kazane yelled, embarrassed. She flushed a brilliant shade of red.

'So why did you assume those personas?' Unohana asked from her seat.

'Ah… I was bored?' Kazane rubbed the back of her head. 'Living for all eternity isn't very interesting unless you have something to occupy your time… It was mostly because I knew I would never have the chance to do such things if I were still in Seireitei… so I decided to use the extra time I had to pursue some of the minor dreams I used to have long ago.'

'So cool! Hot and Spicy!' The girls yelled. 'Kazane-sama, we love Yuki Uta-sama!'

'Uh…' She stared at the rabid fan girls. 'I'd better go!'

'Wait! The interview hasn't even started!' Matsumoto called.

'Another time! And don't you go into my room at night carrying a tape measure!' Kazane stuck her tongue out and ran off.

'SO CUTE! YUKI UTA-SAMA!' The girls squealed again.

**In some place somewhere in Seireitei…**

Kazane wandered around the old, deserted dorms that she used to stay in when she was a student of the Academy. She traced the old, molding wood and stepped into one of the rooms gingerly. She saw something in the middle of the room, though she wasn't sure what it was…

'It's a piano, I think,' someone in the shadows said. Kazane turned around sharply and looked at the small figure in the shadows. It walked out and she saw that it was a boy. He had black hair that reached his collar bone and the clothes he wore was obviously of high quality, though it seemed that he hadn't washed it for days in a row. He looked at the dusty thing. 'I heard a few people talking about it. One of them was boasting that he had brought it back from the human world but they left it there once they had finished admiring it. It's a waste of space. Well, that's what I think.'

'It's not a waste of space if it is being played,' Kazane smiled. 'I'm Hiroshi Kazane. What's your name?'

'Tsukimoto Kai. I'm the heir of the Tsukimoto clan, a third class noble clan,' he muttered, turning away. 'You're a captain.'

'Oh?' She looked down and saw that she was still wearing her haori. 'Oh yeah… What are you doing here, by the way?'

'I'm running away.'

'Huh? Um, isn't running away supposed to be… like… constantly on the move?' Kazane chuckled. 'For what reasons though?'

'They want to marry me off to a girl I've never seen before,' he mumbled. 'I wasn't happy so I ran away.'

'_Whoah, that's rash.'_

'But marrying is an inevitable part of a noble's life, Tsukimoto-dono. All nobles usually marry off to a person they've never met.'

'I don't like it.'

'Who does?' she shrugged and walked over to the piano. She opened the lid and ran her fingers across the keyboard.

'Can you play?' he asked. 'I'd like to hear it…'

Kazane remained silent for a while, before sitting on the seat. She placed her fingers across the keyboard and began playing.

_Kiss me sweet, I'm sleeping in silence_

_All alone, in ice and snow_

_In my dream, I'm calling your name_

_You are my love_

_In your eyes, I search for my memory_

_Lost in vain, so far in the scenery_

_Hold me tight and swear again and again_

_We'll never be apart_

_If you could touch my feathers softly_

_I'll give you my love_

_We set sail in the darkness of the night_

_Out to the sea_

_To find me there_

_To find you there_

_Love me now_

_If you dare_

_Kiss me sweet, I'm sleeping in sorrow_

_All alone, to see you tomorrow_

_In my dream, I'm calling your name_

_You are my love…_

_You are my love…_

**(This song is You Are My Love from TRC!!! It's the English version and the meaning and lyrics is slightly different from the Japanese version but I chose it because it suits this scenario better. As much as I would like to, I DO NOT OWN THIS SONG! Now, onto the story…)**

'That's beautiful…' Kai said. 'There's so much feeling in it. It's sort of… like forbidden love.'

'Tsukimoto-kun, you have someone you like too, don't you?' Kazane looked at him. He blushed furiously at that statement. She smiled and closed the lid of the piano. 'If you like someone, reach out to take her before she disappears from your sight. If not, you'll live to regret it for the rest of your life.'

'Why are you saying this?' he stood up and walked to her.

'Because living in regret is something you don't want to experience,' Kazane held out her hand. 'Let's go back to the Tsukimoto mansion, okay? You have a life to live.' Kai took her hand and they walked out of the dorms.

Unbeknown to them, the 6th Division captain was hiding behind the trees, listening to the conversation that had happened between them.

**Next Day…**

Kazane gathered her squad and brought them to a bamboo forest.

'Uh… taicho… what are we doing here?' Arashi asked. 'Isn't this place… not suitable for training?

'No, it's perfect for today's training! We'll be hitting two birds with one stone. If we're lucky, maybe even three!' Kazane gave a 'V' sign. 'Line up and I'll be pasting something on some parts of your body. DO NOT REMOVE THEM DESPITE HOW TEMPTING IT MAY BE!'

After she was done, all the members had at least one coloured piece of paper stuck to them. Kazane explained, 'The papers show your weak spots. Today, you'll be working in groups of two. You'll fight each other, aiming for your partner's weak spot. DO NOT HURT YOUR PARTNER! If you do, you'll be running laps again. After two hours, you'll be working in groups of fours. This time, it'll be two versus two. You're supposed to help your partner defend his weak spot, if he hasn't learnt to yet. Get your partner and begin!'

The members grabbed the person closest to them and hurried into the bamboo forest to start the training. Kazane sat on a rock nearby and concentrated on the sudden rises in reiatsu levels.

'Hiroshi-taicho?'

Kazane turned around to see the 5th Division vice captain. She smiled, 'Yo, Hinamori-san. Are you feeling better now?'

Hinamori looked down. 'I'm sorry for not being of any help the past few days…'

'It's alright. Come, sit with me.' She made space for her vice-captain.

Hinamori sat down gingerly and watched the pair that was fighting rather closely at the edge of the forest. 'That's an interesting way of training, taicho. Did you think of that yourself?'

'No, someone a long time ago gave me a book on all kinds of team bonding and self-improvement activities. I'm just using some activities that I think will help them best…'

_Flashback…_

_Kazane looked up. So did her teacher. 'There's someone approaching.' They said in unison. Reiyuu walked to the door and opened it, Kazane just behind her. Outside their gate was a group of shinigami, injured for one reason or another. Reiyuu folded her arms and glared at them. 'What do you want, shinigami?'_

_The leader, a blue-haired and very muscular man, walked up to her. 'We're a special team of shinigami that were dispatched to this area to cleanse them of Hollows. We were injured by them and would like to ask for your help as we have no medical supplies at hand.'_

_Reiyuu frowned. 'Go away. If you're asking for help, then find someone else that cares. Leave me and my student alone. Stay off my land!' she picked up a broom that was lying nearby. She shooed them away and even hit some of them on the head. 'You can stay outside the fence for all I care. Just don't come in!' and she slammed the gate and door in their faces._

_That night…_

'_Hey, shinigami-san,' Kazane bent over the leader's face. He got up quickly and looked at her._

'_Yes?' he asked warily._

_She held out a small bag. 'You need medicine, right?' He took the bag and peered into it. Inside the bag was medicine of the highest quality. He gasped. Kazane told him, 'As much as sensei hates shinigami, she wouldn't allow people to die right under her nose. That's from her.'_

_He accepted the bag gratefully. 'What's your name, little girl?'_

'_Kazane. Hirako Kazane.'_

'_WHAT?' he exclaimed._

'_You'll wake your companions,' she covered his mouth. 'My status is of no concern to you, by the way.'_

'_Ah… I'm Amagai,' he said. 'Why doesn't your sensei like shinigami?'_

'_She was a shinigami once, but they killed her lover for no reason so she quit.' She fiddled with her kimono._

'_I see…' _

'_Hey, can you relate a message to your boss? If they want to reduce the number of Hollow attacks, strengthen the barrier you put around here. It'll help,' she walked away._

'_Wait!' he tossed her a book. 'You can have it. I'm done reading it.'_

'_Thanks.'_

_End of Flashback…_

'It's rather interesting… can I join?' Hinamori asked. Kazane smiled.

'I don't know your weak points yet but let's do it,' she got up and stretched. As if they had a telepathic connection, they flash-stepped to the same place at the same time. They took out their weapons and got into a fighting stance.

'No releasing of zanpakto or it'll become too dangerous,' she informed her. As soon as the last word left her mouth, they launched into attack. The attacks were parried successfully and they started becoming more daring. Hinamori tried adding Kido into her attacks but they were all dodged.

'Ouch! Who threw that Kido?' someone yelled.

'S-sorry!' she stuttered.

'Pay more attention to your surroundings. It can cost you your life not to do so,' Kazane forced Hinamori back until she hit a thick cluster of bamboo shoots. 'People may use their surrounding to their advantage. For example, if someone was using an ice-based attack, she would be able to disguise it in snowy weather when visibility is low and everything's white. If you had an earth based zanpakto, then you can use the forest to your advantage.' She attacked Hinamori's left hip. Hinamori had a tough time dodging it.

'One weakness found,' Kazane swept back her hair and got into a fighting pose again. The vice-captain followed suit warily. Once again, they elapsed once again in attack. Again and again, Hinamori was beaten by Kazane. It started to rain.

'Ah…' Kazane looked at up the sky. It was dark. 'It's about to rain… 5th Division, let's head back!'

'Eh? But we're not done yet!' they protested in unison.

'You can voice your thoughts in one voice! Good job!' she gave them a 'V' sign. 'I can't have you all fall sick just because of an activity… Or if you insist on staying out in the rain, I'll make you do all your paperwork!'

'Eh? We have paperwork?' someone voiced. He was smacked on the back of the head by his partner.

'Of course we do! Where were you the past few months? Everyone has to do paperwork, especially seated officers like us,' his partner scolded.

'But Hinamori-fukutaicho always did them for me…'

'Shhh!'

'You want to get us all scolded for letting Hinamori-fukutaicho do all our work?'

'Shhh!'

'Oops.'

Kazane pretended not to hear. 'For every second you delay, everyone will be doing 10 copies of paperwork… One… two…'

'Ahhh!' they dashed back to the 5th Division barracks. Hinamori stood still and watched Kazane.

'Himamori-fukutaicho, are you planning to do all my paperwork?' Kazane smiled at the vice-captain.

She shook her head. Hesitantly, she bowed low. 'Thank you, Hiroshi-taicho. You've brought the Division together in just a few days… I'm very grateful for your concern to the 5th Division…'

Kazane poked Hinamori's forehead with a finger. 'You're so formal, Himamori-fukutaicho.'

'Eh, it's Hinamori, not Himamori.'

'You'll be Himamori while I'm here!' She winked and held out a hand. 'Congrats, you'll be doing all my paperwork today. I'm getting a day off!'

Hinamori took the hand. 'I'll be... honored…'

'Great! I'm leaving them in your hands!' Kazane tugged her hand and flash-stepped back to the barracks.

**That night…**

'Kazane!!!' Matsumoto jumped onto Kazane who was leaving the 5th Division barracks. 'You look so cute!' Matsumoto admired the younger girl's pale blue kimono and violet coat.

'Matsumoto-fukutaicho…' Kazane smiled nervously. 'Why were you waiting for me…?'

'We haven't had your special welcoming ceremony!' Matsumoto latched onto Kazane's arm and pulled her down the street. 'Everyone's already waiting! Let's go! There'll be sake and cake!'

'Wait! I'm still underage,' Kazane protested.

'You're more than 100 years old! That's way not underage,' she frowned.

'But still…' Kazane kept silent until they reached the restaurant. She opened her mouth finally to protest, 'I'm not suited for parties or dinners, Matsumoto-fukutaicho!'

'Don't be such a spoil sport, Kazane,' and with that, Matsumoto pushed her into the restaurant and led her to a private room. In the room were several captains and vice-captains, as well as Rukia. Rukia looked up hesitantly, but looked back down almost instantly.

'Party time!' Matsumoto announced. She raised a bottle of sake and forced it into Kazane's hand. 'Cheers!'

The bottles went into the air and the sound of ceramic against ceramic rang in the air. Matsumoto and Renji began a sake-drinking contest and downed bottle after bottle in an inhuman speed. Kazane sighed warily and sat next to Ukitake and Kyouraku.

'Yo, you're not drinking?' Kyouraku lifted his bottle and took a swig.

'I'm underage. You can have mine,' she pushed the bottle to him. Kyouraku took the bottle and downed it in a gulp.

'How's being a captain? Interesting?' Ukitake made an attempt to start a conversation. 'It must be a new experience for you.'

'It's okay, I guess. I'll be going back to the human world soon so I don't really see the need to have this… party…' Kazane grimaced.

'Matsumoto will take any chance to party. More specifically, drink alcohol,' Hitsugaya sat down beside Kazane. 'She totally forgot the documents on her desk. Wait, she didn't forget. She dumped them on MY desk.' He grumbled.

'Ha ha, at least my Nanao-chan takes care of mine and hers at the same time,' Kyouraku reached for Nanao who was sitting opposite them. Nanao blushed and turned away.

'The life of a captain comprises mostly of paperwork, I noticed,' Kazane sighed. She picked up a slice of cake and nibbled on it. 'It's a boring life.'

'You had your subordinates do them for you today?' Hitsugaya asked.

'They need to take responsibility for their own work,' she just said.

'Wish Matsumoto would do that.'

'Indeed.'

Silence reined once again. The air grew very heavy. And heavier. And heavier. Until Ukitake decided to break the ice again.

'Is the Division treating you well?'

'What do you mean?'

'Like, they respect you?'

'Respect is hard to gain, especially when the target is a girl younger than you,' Kazane finished the cake and wiped her mouth.

'How old are you, by the way?'

'I turned 153 this year.'

'WHAT?'

'What?' Kazane looked at them. 'Did I say something wrong?'

'So young, yet so strong,' Kyouraku said dramatically.

'Uh-huh…?'

'A tragic heroine with a mysterious past,' he added on.

'…What?'

'A genius, yet not wanting to show off her abilities at its full extent, a truly humble maiden.'

'This is getting creepy… very creepy.'

'Such a beauty with such a wonderful f-!' Kazane stuffed his mouth with the plate of cake on the table.

'Is he drunk?' She asked in a suspicious tone.

'Kyouraku-taicho has an astonishing stomach for liquor. He won't get drunk by just 2 bottles of sake,' Nanao informed from her seat, nose still buried in her book. 'Say, Hiroshi-taicho, did you see… my former vice-captain while you were in the human world?'

Everyone looked at her. Kazane stroked her hair absentmindedly. 'I suppose I can tell you… but it must be kept in between us. To be honest, that group, unlike me, chose to live an elusive life. I didn't see them, but I did feel their presence once.'

'Yadomaru-fukutaicho is still alive then?' Nanao leaned forward.

'I can't be sure. It's been around 30 years since I last sensed them. A lot could happen in that time. But they aren't suicidal, so I guess that they have a good chance of still… existing…' she looked away and gazed at Matsumoto and Renji. They were both drunk and bottles littered the floor. 'I guess we'd better wrap up the party. It's not going to be amusing to carry those two oafs back,' she chuckled.

Hitsugaya groaned. 'She's staying here for the night. I'm not carrying her back to the 10th Division.'

'I'll get her a room,' Nano got up and walked out of the room. There was an awkward silence between the captains.

'I'll be going then,' Kazane got up. 'Thanks for the cake, Ukitake-taicho.'

'Huh? Cake? Hey, wait? Who said I was paying?'

Rukia watched Kazane's leaving figure with a strage look of regret on her face.

**Later that night…**

The mansion still stood, its features still the same as it was many years ago. The remnants of the rooms that were once the living quarters of the Hirako clan heads were still in shambles. Apparently, no one had bothered to restore the mansion that housed the former nobles. Kazane stood on the tall wall, looking at it from afar.

'Hey, that little yellow butterfly on the wall, get down before you fall!' someone from below her yelled. She turned and saw one of the guards standing there. He gestured her to climb down. Sighing, she jumped and landed smoothly on the floor beside him. He gaped and wiped his brows. 'Quite the gymnast, are you?'

'Gymnast?' Kazane questioned.

'Oh, they're those girls in the human world that do all those crazy stunts in tight suits. I read about them in a magazine,' he told her friendly.

'I see. It's unusual for someone to be informed of such thing in the human world unless they've been there themselves,' she smiled. Gesturing at the mansion, she asked, 'Do you guard this place?'

'Yes, I guard it every day. It's empty, as you can see. No one has been living in it for over 100 years. The owner wanted to prevent vagrants from living in it so, you know,' he rolled his eyes. 'I don't know why he even bothers to keep this mansion the way it is. It's an eyesore. It's in a pretty good district and if he restores it, it can be worth a lot of money.'

'You seem to be very well-informed,' Kazane eyed him.

'I knew about this mansion since I was very young. It was the main mansion of the Hirako family, a very prominent family back then, with the Kasumi-Ouji clan just behind it. The males in the clan were raised to be great scholars and many were the king's personal advisors. Though, I heard that one of them in the last generation actually became a shinigami,' he whispered the last part in her ear. 'After the fire, somehow the public found that the Hirako clan was actually corrupted and it was removed from the list of noble families. A terrible ending for such a great clan.'

'Indeed,' she murmured. 'Who owns it now?'

'The head of the Kuchiki clan, Kuchiki Byakuya-dono,' he said.

'I see…' Kazane reached into her coat to feel the blue scarf that was neatly folded inside. 'May I go in and see?' she flashed him a smile.

'Uh… Well, I'm actually not allowed to but I think you wouldn't do anything to harm it or anything…' he looked woozy after the smile.

'You're a sweet guy,' Kazane jumped over the wall and into the mansion. Right in the center of the garden, she placed the scarf down. 'I shall say goodbye to my past from this point on. Right, Haruka? …Haruka…?'

It was then that she realized: _She couldn't hear Haruka anymore._

**Next Day…**

The 5th Division trained with passion that day, which was surprising as it was uncommon to see them hyped up like rabbits that over-dosed on sugared carrots. Smiling, Kazane assembled the Division at noon and announced to them, 'You all have shown great improvement the past few days and I'm all proud of you! As the week is drawing to a close and I'll be returning to the Human World soon, I'll like to have this one last group activity. Today at 1400, we'll all be going for a group mission!'

The squad cheered excitedly. Hinamori, who was standing beside Kazane, said, 'The mission will last approximately 5 hours. It's located in 76th Rukongai, a place that is currently infested by Hollows. We'll be going for a clean-up mission. That is to say, we are to eliminate all Hollows in that area. We have located the base of the Hollows and we have set up a barrier to prevent them from coming out to hunt. We'll be launching a direct attack on the base. We leave in 2 hours. Please get ready and please, remember to bring your weapons.' She said the last bit a bit exasperatedly.

'Yeah! Let's show them all the power of the 5th Division!' the shinigami cheered.

**76****th**** Rukongai, outside a cave in the woods…**

'Everyone, on the count of three, I'll be releasing the barrier that was set up. Get ready!' Kazane shouted. She raised her hand. 'One… Two… Three!' She deactivated the barrier and the Hollows came swarming out. In the commotion, Kazane projected her voice and commanded, 'I have counted 20 Hollows in there. 3 to each Hollow. Please eliminate all Hollows and help out your partners at the same time to avoid injuries!' The squad spilt into groups of three and the fight began. The Hollows were taken down swiftly. Kazane herself was fighting 5 of them single handedly.

Suddenly, just as the last of the Hollows were being taken care of, the ground trembled. Kazane paled as she realized the energy that was coming from a rip that had appeared in the sky. Immediately, she yelled, 'Everyone, Menos Grande are coming! 3 to one as usual, but I'm afraid that there are over 50 of them coming over. Be careful!'

The minute those words left her mouth, Menos began swarming out. Most of them were Gillian class but that wasn't what worried her. there was an adjucas classed _arrancar_ in their midst.

'I'll be taking care of the arrancar! Everyone, don't panic and fight!' The two sides clashed into battle. Kazane drew the arrancar out and fought him.

'Oh, a puny girl like you is going to fight me? I'm SO SCARED!' he snarled sarcastically. He had a lizard-shaped mask that was broken off on his left side. His zanpakto was large and nearly twice as tall as him. Kazane switched her zanpakto from the scythe to the two swords.

'Who sent you?'

'My lord, of course,' he slashed his zanpakto around quickly. Kazane dodged them all swiftly. 'But his name will not be fouled by the likes of a puny shinigami like you!'

'Foolish,' Kazane tossed the shorter blade at him. He managed to dodge it but the ribbon curled around his leg, causing the short sword to stab his leg. He screamed loudly.

'Damn you…' he pulled the short sword out of his leg. 'NOW I'M ANGRY! RELEASE!' He transformed into a full lizard with iron plates poking out from every inch of his body. He rolled into a ball and charged at her.

'He released his zanpakto?' Kazane gasped. She stopped him by blocking him with both her swords and sent a wave of ice from her swords. It stabbed him at the places in between the iron plates. He let out a blood-curdling scream scratching at the icicles.

'I'M FURIOUS!' He shot out all the iron plates and they flew all over, some hitting the Gillians, some hitting the shinigami and there was one heading towards…

Kazane recognized the face instantly. 'Tsukimoto-dono!' The next moment, she was infront of Kai, hugging him protectively. The iron blade stabbed her in her shoulder and blood splattered all over. Kai watched her with fearful eyes, his arms trembling.

'You…' he whispered. Kazane pushed herself off Kai and pulled the blade off her back. Getting up, she held out her zanpakto.

'The frozen skies scream your love… the snowy grounds shout your hate. Bankai, Yukihime Fuyusuisei!' her bloodied hakama changed into the white kimono. The scythe appeared in her hands in place of the swords. She glanced at Kai briefly. 'Please close your eyes until I tell you not to, Tsukimoto-dono. Nocturnal Snow Wrath!' she spun her scythe. The woods were covered by dark snow. The snow transformed into icicles and stabbed all the Hollows in every angle possible. It ended their pitiful existence painfully and brutally.

'Hiroshi-taicho… has such a scary technique…' Hinamori whimpered as the snow transformed into more and more icicles, finishing all the Gillians in minutes.

Kazane watched as the last of the Gillians faded away. She walked to the arrancar who was still alive, dark icicles stabbing him.

'You damn shinigami. You killed my brothers! You killed them for nothing!' he screamed. 'You shinigami think that you have the right to kill us because we kill! You all kill too! You all think you're so great but in reality, you're just murderers. You lot are just a bunch of proud murderers!'

'I did not kill them as a shinigami. I killed them as the leader of my squad. As their leader, I feel an instinctive pull to eliminate those that threaten the lives of my squad. Believe me, if you were as attached to your brothers as I was to my squad, you would be after my head as well. Sadly, you won't have the chance anymore. Goodbye, arrancar,' Kazane stabbed his head and the arrancar perished. 'Send my regards to your master… that is… if you ever see him again…'

'Scary…' Arashi murmured. 'Is that the true power of Hiroshi-taicho?'

Kazane turned to the rest of her Division. 'Is everyone alright? Any injuries?'

'6 were hurt taicho!' someone yelled.

'Get the 4th Division over as soon as possible. They should be waiting in 75th Rukongai. The rest who are free, try to tend to the wounds if you know of any healing Kido,' Kazane instructed. She turned to Kai, who was covering his eyes with his hands. She sighed and pulled the hands away. 'You watched, didn't you?'

'Ah! I didn't mean to!' he shook his head vigorously.

Kazane hugged him. 'Are you scared now? What you saw was my anger at the Hollows. Are you scared of me now? Disgusted?'

'NO!' Kai shook his head. 'I… because I came… you…'

'Why are you here?'

'I wanted to talk to you so I followed you here and… I thought you'd be motivated to see me but…' he stuttered.

'Wait… you _followed_ me here?' Kazane asked incredulously. 'I was flash-stepping here. There's no way you could have caught up so quickly.'

'I was just running and I came here…' he said. But then, he looked down, tears gathering in his eyes. 'I got you hurt.'

'What did you come for?' Kazane ignored the last part and continued hugging him.

'I wanted to tell you that… I'm going to be married to the noble I like…' he blushed.

'I see.' She let go and staggered away. Facing her Division again, she bowed. 'I'm sorry for endangering all of your lives. I should have foreseen that this could have happened and…'

'It's not taicho's fault! No one would have expected that Menos would come!' one of them protested.

'To be honest, when I heard that you had such an urge to protect us and lead us… to proudly claim that we are under you… I was very happy,' Arashi admitted sheepishly. His friends clapped him on the back solemnly. 'We're glad to have you as our taicho, and we don't blame you one bit.'

'I see…' Kazane smiled wanly. _'I grew too attached.' _She coughed and blood spurted out of her mouth. The bandages around her body were stained red with her blood. She feel to her knees and clutched her arms.

'Get the 4th Division over, quick!' And Kazane blacked out.

**4****th**** Division hospital wing…**

'How strange, isn't it? I don't see you here for years and when I finally do, I see too much of you,' Unohana chuckled. Kazane, who was lying on the bed, pouted.

'You can't blame me for having my unlucky "flares"… I can't control my luck…' she coughed badly. Unohana rushed forward to help her sit up.

'Really, did you really have to push yourself that hard? Your wounds haven't even healed and there you go, into battle, gaining another serious wound in the process,' Unohana sighed. She glanced at the bandages around her patient. 'Any ideas why these wounds wouldn't heal?'

'It's the price I have to pay for using that thing. I'm guessing that it won't heal for at least another few months under normal circumstances. But as far as I'm concern, I'm under anything but normal circumstances,' Kazane rolled her eyes. Unohana chuckled.

'You have a visitor. I'll leave both of you to talk then,' she got up and left.

Kazane sat in her bed for a while. She started to get impatient and called, 'Oy, Rukia, if you're planning to come in, then don't waste any time!'

The door slid open and Rukia walked in nervously. She closed the door behind her, hesitated for a while and then bowed down deeply. 'I'm terribly sorry!'

Kazane's jaws dropped. 'What the heck was that for? Did I save your life or something?'

'I… it's about Kaien-dono. I… I'm sorry for… for…' she stuttered.

'Ah, Kaien-san,' Kazane sighed and leaned back. 'Kukaku-san told you to see me?'

'Yes… she told me that Kaien-dono was very important to you and you would definitely be in as much pain as she was in when you heard the news and I thought that I must –ouch!' Kazane had poked Rukia on the forehead.

'Idiot, who said that I wanted an apology?' Kazane rolled her eyes. 'All that talking makes me queasy.'

'I thought that I owe you a formal apology…' she looked down at her feet.

'The thing I hate the most is formality, you know that? In any case, apologizing won't bring him back, would it?' Kazane sighed. 'But I don't deny that he was very important to me.'

_Flashback…_

'_Hiroshi, I'll be leaving the work to you again then,' an arrogant shinigami of the 12__th__ Division chortled and stacked his portion of paperwork onto Kazane's already 2 feet tall stack of papers._

'_Fuji-sempai!' Kazane pouted indignantly. Fuji laughed but didn't even take a glance back. _

_Kazane sighed. A strong gust of wind came and blew the top few pieces of paper away. Just as she was about to reach out and grab it, a strong and muscular hand beat her to it._

'_Here, it's yours, isn't it?' a tall guy with short black hair handed her the papers. He glanced at her full hands and paused. 'Need help with that?'_

'_Uh… what do you think? Do I look that pathetic that I need someone to help me?' she rolled her eyes._

'_Whoah, a little punk, aren't you?' he swung a fist at her temple. In a flash, Kazane had raised her left leg up to block the attack before twirling around to kick him with her right. All the while, the stack of papers remained straight and steady in her palm._

'_Sorry, that was a self defensive move,' she stuck out her tongue._

'_You little punk,' he touched the area where her right foot connected with. 'That's gonna stay there for at least a week! I can't go around looking like a panda!'_

'_Vain, aren't you?' she looked at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. 'You're really amusing.'_

'_How so?' he asked, puzzled._

'_That's a secret!' Kazane laughed and skipped away._

'_Hey! What's your name?' he called._

'_Hiroshi Kazane, at your service, Shiba Kaien-dono!' she laughed and flash-stepped off._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

'_Hey, don't be like that… Come on, it'll be fun,' her colleague smirked and took a step towards her. Kazane backed away, nearing the edge of the cliff she was on. The lake underneath was at least 300 feet away and the water seemed to be less than 10 feet deep. Kazane eyed the two men who had followed her to the cliff warily._

'_Go away. I have no interest in dealing with you two,' she growled. The men smirked and walked closer. Kazane backed away until she reached the edge of the cliff._

'_The little butterfly has no place to go…' he taunted. 'Come on, we'll be gentle.'_

_Kazane took a deep breath and jumped backwards into the air. She somersaulted and plunged into the water without making a splash. Meanwhile, someone was beating the two men up on the cliff._

'_HEY! YOU ALRIGHT DOWN THERE?' He hollered. Kazane looked up, coughing out some of the water in her mouth. He leaned forward to check on her but instead… 'WHOAH! NO WAY, I'M FALLING TOO!'_

_SPLASH! His head broke through the surface of the water and he shook his head. He frowned indignantly and folded his arms._

'_Are you alright?' Kazane asked innocently. 'Your arm is bleeding.'_

'_Oh, I must have cut it on some rocks or something…' he shrugged. Kazane took a closer look and realized that it was Kaien. He stared at her too and exclaimed, 'Hey! I know you from before! Ha…ha-cho!'_

'_You're catching a cold. Let's go to the bank,' she suggested. She waddled through the water, pulling Kaien along with her._

'_Hey… this isn't right. Why are you taking care of me? Are you planning to ruin my reputation and pride?' he protested through his chattering teeth._

'_Says the one that's shivering in his socks…' she rolled her eyes. 'Did you have to be so careless?'_

'_Hey…' he grumbled. They sat down on the bank and stared at the glassy surface of the water._

'_Did you follow me here?' Kazane suddenly asked._

'_Uh… Well, actually, yeah,' he admitted sheepishly. He saw her cold expression and hastily proceeded to explain, 'I can explain! You see, the first time I met you, you smiled but that smile seemed so fake. It didn't touch your eyes. I got interested in you and when I saw you walking out here alone I thought I'd follow you and see what you're really like… I don't believe you really are like the lost butterfly that I saw the other day…'_

'_Lost butterfly?' she repeated._

'_Uh, yeah? That's what you look like when you have that expressionless look on your face. Well, at least that's what it seems like to me,' he scratched the back of his head._

'_Lost butterfly… that's what that man up there said too…' she hugged her knees. 'Why is that so?'_

_He deliberated for a moment before putting a hand around her shoulder, pulling her to him. She let herself be hugged by the man willingly._

'_Hey, I don't know why, but I feel at ease when I'm with you…' she mumbled._

'_I'm glad to hear that… looks like we click.' He chuckled._

_End of Flashback…_

'He was important to you and yet… I caused you to lose him… I'm so sorry-'

'Stop, please,' Kazane held out a hand. Rukia stopped short and stared at her feet. Kazane sighed, 'It's not your fault. You didn't know. I'm sure that you must have felt grief when it happened. It's alright. Really, Rukia, I'm glad that he was able to pass on with ease. So… stop torturing yourself.'

'I'm sorry…'

'Also, there's something else…' Kazane got up and bowed at her. 'I'm sorry for raising my sword against you. I knew that there were other ways to solve the problem and yet I chose the troublesome path. It was my wrong. Please forgive me.'

'No, please raise your head,' Rukia grabbed Kazane and pulled her upright. 'You did it for the good of everyone. No one's going to blame you for it.'

'Thank you,' she mouthed. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, a smirk forming on her face. She made a sign for Rukia to keep quiet. Raising her right hand, she fired a non-verbal Kido at the ceiling. Wood and a man came flying down.

'Ouch!' Ichiru exclaimed, rubbing his back. He looked up to see Kazane glaring at him and he gulped nervously.

'I thought the days of poor stalking were over,' she glared. Pointing to the door, she snapped, 'Out. _Please?'_

'Sorry,' he mumbled and walked out.

Once he was gone, both girls burst out laughing. Rukia rubbed tears of laughter from her eyes, 'That was hilarious! You sure have a loyal bodyguard.'

'He wasn't my choice but I'm glad I have him,' Kazane agreed. Both girls smiled at each other.

'I'd better be going. Thanks, Kazane,' Rukia blushed.

'Thanks, Rukia,' Kazane smiled. Rukia skipped out of the room. Kazane stood in the middle of the room for a moment. The next moment, she was clutching the sheets of the bed, struggling to stay on her feet. Gasping, she choked and clutched her chest, pulling out her zanpakto that was hiding there. Her zanpakto had changed from the usual black and white decorations to a white hilt with black decorations. Kazane stared at it holding it to her chest.

'_I can't hear Haruka or Shiroi anymore. My zanpakto has changed. I… What's happening to me?'_

**Next Day… In the 13****th**** Division…**

'So… I've spoken to Yamamoto-soutaicho and he's agreed that the 5th Division is fine now so my term as your captain is over as of now,' Kazane bowed at the squad. 'It's been a pleasure working with you.'

'Taicho…' some of them muttered.

'Ojou, it's time for you to leave. The gate will be opening in a few moments,' Ichiru told her. Kazane nodded. She picked up her bag, turned to the gate and walked towards it.

'Bye, Soul Society,' Kazane smiled and dashed through the gate.

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In front of Urahara Shoten…

Kazane stepped out gracefully from the gate and looked forward. Urahara and Youruichi were both standing at the doorway, waiting for her. She smiled and walked to them. Youruichi hugged her and muttered, 'Welcome back.'

'I'm back,' Kazane replied.

'You can stay here for the night. The school term starts tomorrow,' Urahara informed her. He eyed her bandages warily.

'Thanks,' Kazane nodded and walked into the shop. She dropped her bag into her specially prepared room and walked off to the bathroom. Urahara picked up the bad and took out the contents. He stared at the haori she had brought back and fingered her zanpakto. There was a gasp. He turned around and saw Kazane at the door, looking at him with shock. Her eyes landed on the zanpakto and haori. She gave a weak smile.

Urahara held out a hand to her and Kazane threw herself onto him, sobbing.

The skyscraper has fallen, a new one will emerge.

The music continues playing.

**Omg, I finally finished it. And this concludes the end of the Soul Society arc!!! I know it's a bit boring and I was going "Talk talk talk talk talk" so you may have gotten tired of reading everything and just scrolled down to read this. Sorry, I have no inspiration lately!**

**I'll be taking a short break and start on the fanfiction I was promising on my profile. But, this doesn't mean that this is the end! I just need some more time to plan out the Vizard arc, which is sofar my favourite arc. I don't want to make a mess out of it! Thank you readers for reading! I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Heyz everyone! This is chapter 16! The new arc!!! Thank you all for reading!!! RXR!!! I'm too hyper!!!**

In Karakura High School… the first day of the new term…

'Kazane!!!' Orihime dashed to Kazane who had just walked into the classroom. She gave her a big hug. 'You're back! Why didn't you tell us?'

'Ah…' Kazane looked nervous at the negligible space in between them. She pulled Orihime's hands off her and walked to her seat. 'I got back late last night.'

'You're still injured…' she frowned and stared at the wounds.

'Ah…' she rubbed her bandaged arms and looked away. 'It's not healed yet.'

'Why?' she came really close to Kazane's face.

'Uh…'

'Inoue, you're scaring her,' Ichigo came and tugged the girl away by the arm. He looked at his adopted sister and nodded. 'You okay?'

Kazane gave a fake smile. '100% OK!'

_Flashback…_

'_There isn't any other possible reasons… but let's go through them again before we draw the conclusion…' Urahara massaged his temples. 'Change in zanpkato form, loss of ability to hear you zanpakto spirit… change in abilities… splitting headaches and loss of consciousness...'_

'_I checked this morning the moment I woke up and my zanpakto changed form when I released it. Both of them,' Kazane clenched her fist. 'The change is happening very rapidly.'_

'_Yes, much faster than what I've ever seen,' his eyes darkened. 'The time taken for all the changes to happen is over a few decades. Judging by your rate, it'll be done in a little over 3 or 4 months. That's many times faster.'_

'_Is there any way to reverse it?' she leaned forward desperately._

'_If there were any, I'd have discovered it long ago,' he admitted. Kazane sighed._

'_Surely it isn't all that bad, is it?' Youruichi asked._

'_I wouldn't say that… All the other… subjects that I observed… They all died after the whole change was complete,' Urahara produced a folder from underneath the table. He opened it to a particular page and showed it to them._

'_No…' Youruichi covered her eyes, revolted at the sight in the pictures._

'_I… see…' Kazane looked down. 'So… that means I'll die just after winter? What a… coincidence…'_

'_I'll try to see if there's a way to reverse it. I promise you, if I don't find it in time, I'll end your life myself,' he vowed solemnly._

'_Please do…' Kazane looked away. There were tears at the corner of her eyes. She rubbed them away and got up. 'I'm going to school.'_

'_Have a nice day…' Urahara called. His voice was lacking the cheerfulness it usually had._

'_Is it alright to let her do such things?' Youruichi whispered across the table._

'_Let her do what she wants,' he whispered back._

_Outside the shop, her tears began to fall._

_End of Flashback…_

'Kazane?' Orihime looked at Kazane and stared. 'Your eyes are red.'

'Huh?' Kazane rubbed her eyes hurriedly. 'Are they?'

'Yes they are! Are you hiding something from us?' Orihime scolded. 'It's not good to keep things from your friends, you know?'

'Ah…' Kazane looked down. _'How will I tell it to them…? That I will…'_

'Oy, Kazane,' Ichigo whacked her on the head. 'Speak up!'

'Well I… I became a temporary captain the past week and I was reflecting on my job…' Kazane tried to be as truthful as possible.

Jaws dropped. Ishida stared from his seat. His brows furrowed with concentration but he looked away after a while.

'You were a captain?' Orihime burst out. Ichigo cupped a hand to her mouth to prevent her from spilling out what shouldn't be revealed. She gave an apologetic smile and looked down.

The bell rang.

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In class…

Her head was pounding. It throbbed painfully under her skin and no amount of aspirin taken could help ease the pain. She didn't even have the energy to react when Ichigo's badge went wailing "Hollow! Hollow!" She didn't even hear the teacher announcing that there was a new student. The day passed in a blur with the headache growing stronger by the minute.

'Sensei, I think I should bring Kurosaki-chan to the sick bay,' someone standing beside her said. The next moment she was in his arms, moving swiftly across the classroom and pass the lengthy corridors. She groaned and clutched her head. The rocking motion only contributed to the increasingly painful pounding.

'Honestly, I never thought I'd have to carry a bishoujo to the nurse's room on my first day,' the guy grinned, sarcasm clearly evident in his voice. 'I've seen corpses with better colour on their faces. You look horrible, no offence.'

'Twilight reader, aren't you?' Kazane squinted at him, detecting the phrase quoted from Twilight.

'Nah, I've read better,' he snorted. He was climbing up the stairs.

'The nurse's is on the first floor,' Kazane reminded him tiredly.

'Like hell that room will do you any good. When you're sick, you should have sun and air!' he marched out onto the roof and laid her down on one of the benches. Kazane groaned at the sunlight and shielded her eyes. He rolled his eyes and sat on the floor beside her.

'Your name?'

'Hirako Shinji. You're Kurosaki Kazane, right? You look different from your brother,' Shinji grinned.

'I'm adopted,' she murmured softly, aware that he already knew that fact. 'What do you want to know?'

'Hougyoku.'

'With Aizen. He escaped to Hueco Mundo supposedly to create an army of arrancar. He's been successful so far…' Kazane pondered over what else to tell him. 'If our calculations are correct, the Hougyoku should fully awaken by winter…'

'Winter War, huh?' he looked up at the sky. 'That'll serve you as an advantage.'

'…' she closed her eyes, trying to block out the pounding in her head. 'Are you here for Ichigo?'

'… Yeah.'

'Don't kill him.'

'I know that. He's a valuable ally,' Shinji got up. 'Why are you here anyway? Acting as some spy for Soul Soceity?'

'I was exiled,' she said softly, almost inaudibly.

'Oh.' He turned away and began walking towards the door.

'Wait.' He turned around to see Kazane sitting upright on the bench. He took a few steps back and turned to face her. Kazane smirked and raised her head. Two black eyes with golden pupils stared directly into him. He gasped and back off.

'What, scared?' Kazane got up. 'We are, after all, the same kind.'

'No… you aren't her…' Shinji backed to the door. 'Who are you?'

'I'm Kazane's Hollow!' Shiroi smiled wickedly. 'Surprised?'

'How…'

'More importantly, Shinji-pyon, I have something to tell you…' Shiroi twirled a lock of her long hair with a finger. He looked at her apprehensively. She grinned, 'Are you willing to listen to me, Onii-sama?'

'Onii-sama? You-' he gasped and pointed a finger at her. 'You… could it be that you're the Hirako…'

'I'm Hirako clan's princess, Hirako Kazane, more commonly known as Jyuusan-hime in that time. I went under the alias Hiroshi Kazane after the clan fell from its ranks,' Shiroi did a curtsy. She smirked at his mortified expression. 'What, aren't you happy that you finally have the chance to meet your long lost sister? I'm hurt, Onii-sama.'

'Don't call me that,' he spat out. He had regained his composure and the anger was starting to seep in. 'Like hell I'd be happy to see the slutty-'

WHAM! Shiroi had leaped onto him and slammed him to the floor. Placing a hand firmly onto his neck, she whispered, 'Don't you dare say that about Kazane!'

'Why shouldn't I?' he struggled futilely. 'Because of her… because of you… I was kicked out of my family and my mother sentenced to life of embarrassment! She died on the streets from an illness that could have been cured if the clan had bothered to spare a few coins to buy medicine. But NO! They had to care for their oh-so-weak princess that has a mother from a superior bloodline. It was because of you that my mother and I had to suffer embarrassment! It's your fault.'

'Hey…' Shiroi leant close to him. 'Tell me, does a child chooses whose child he or she is about to become? Does a little girl chooses what life she's about to get? You know nothing, Shinji-pyon. You blame her for all your suffering when she has done nothing but lived! How do you know that your own pain is greater than hers?'

'What do you mean?' Shinji laid still and stared at her seriously.

'Did you know that for her whole life as a noble, our father never spared her a proper glance? Did you know that she was never agreed to officially by our father to become the Hirako clan heir? Did you know that he never gave a damn about her future the whole while? All the time he was obsessed with you! He never saw Kazane as his own flesh and blood. Even at his death, he didn't acknowledge her. You had his approval. You had his fortune, everything he owned. You had the share that was, by right, supposed to be given to Kazane, who probably wouldn't have used it in memory of her father. You were supported all the way through your years as a shinigami, from the day you stepped into the Shinigami Academy till the day you became a captain. Kazane had to brave the loneliness her status gave her, and on top of that battle her way into the Academy by herself. You've been so wrapped up in your own sorrows that you failed to realize hers. And I thought you'd be more observant than that…' Shiroi gripped his neck tighter. 'I'm telling you this because Kazane herself would never tell you this. I want you to know. Don't you ever look down on Kazane, shun her, or the like, and be a proper brother for once! Be the brother that she never had the opportunity to have.'

'What…' Shinji said. Shiroi got off him and her eyes turned back to the original colour. She looked disorientated for a while before realization struck her face.

'She told you…' Kazane sobbed.

'That…' Shinji hesitated.

'If possible, I'd have wanted to keep it a secret for the rest of my life,' Kazane smiled sadly. 'I thought that you would hate me for that…'

Shinji looked down. 'Is it all true?'

'…'

'I… need time to think through this,' he got up and walked away. Kazane remained on the floor, tears creeping silently down her face.

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At night… Kurosaki household…

'Kaza-nee!' Yuzu rushed forward and hugged Kazane tightly. 'You came home! Where were you?'

Kazane smiled. 'I was… doing an errand for someone I know. It took a while to get it done…' She held out a bag of food. 'I bought this got dinner. Let's eat!'

'Wai! It's sushi!' Yuzu opened the bag and took out the expensive sushi. Her eyes glittered as she marveled the food. 'It's like… a feast!'

Karin rolled her eyes. 'It is a feast. Kaza-nee bought enough for 8 people.' Karin glanced sideways at her adopted sister. 'Say, Nee-chan, where did you get all those wounds?'

Kazane laughed nervously. 'Ahaha…? I'll get Isshin-san to look at it afterwards…'

Karin kicked Kazane's shin, her eyes twitching. 'Don't ignore the question!'

'Sa… Ichigo's home. Let's eat!' Kazane laughed and set the table. The family cast her a worried glance.

So much for wonderful acting skills.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the clinic…

Isshin unwound the bandages carefully and gasped at the wounds. It had turned black and you could see the dark aura emitting from it. He poked it gingerly and Kazane let out a low hiss.

'Some doctor you are…' she growled. Isshin laughed softly.

'Sorry… it's just that… I've never seen this kind of wound before. It's totally… new to me. Even with the medical knowledge I had when I was in Gotei 13…' he examined the wounds. 'There's nothing I can do except sterilize it and pray that it doesn't get worse.'

'That's fine by me. As long as I live past winter, then I have no qualms,' Kazane picked up a roll of new bandages and began bandaging up the wounds.

'What do you mean?' Isshin asked sternly. Kazane froze, realizing that she let something very wrong slip. 'Do you mean that you aren't expecting to live past winter?'

'I…' Kazane looked down. She gave a small smile. 'My body is going under… mutation. All three distinguished parts of my souls, that is to say my "main" soul, my zanpakto spirit and… my Hollow…, are… merging… If the mutation is like the others Urahara-san has seen… then… I probably… won't live past winter…'

'What?' Isshin hissed. 'Why is that happening?'

'I don't know. It's just that all these symptoms are appearing and…' she sighed. 'By now, the next symptom that should appear is… I probably should be able to use abilities that my zanpakto spirit has without releasing my zanpakto. In this case, it's water manipulation-'

_Wait. If I should be able to use water manipulation… I couldn't do it before but… what about when I was young? What's going on?_

'Kazane?' Isshin touched her shoulder. Kazane jumped up and rushed to the bathroom. Isshin followed her. 'Hey, what's wrong?'

Kazane coughed out blood in the sink, gasping heavily. Isshin patted her back worriedly. Kazane looked up and stared at the tap. With a shaking hand, she turned the tap on. She watched the water flow out and touched it. The water turned to ice instantly. She touched it again and the water changed back to its original state. She frowned and waved her hand. The water bended around like it was in a curved hose. She waved her hand the other way and it bent the other way. Isshin whistled.

'Nice, although this should mean something bad,' he sighed. 'Are you okay? You were coughing out quite a lot of blood just now.'

'I'm okay,' Kazane nodded and rinsed her mouth. 'May I be excused?'

'Heck, do you even need to ask? Just remember to bandage your wounds properly. Here-' he grabbed a few rolls of bandages and dumped them into Kazane's hand. 'Off you go!'

'Thanks… oh, and here-' Kazane tossed something over her shoulder. Isshin caught it and looked at it.

'Soul Candy?' he looked at her incredulously.

'The Hollow that killed your wife is back here as an arrancar. Haven't you sensed it? Ichigo drew him here. You may want your revenge,' Kazane glanced at him and left the bathroom.

Isshin laughed to himself. 'Ahaha… it's been a while… since I last donned the clothes of a shinigami. So odd… that we two are actually… dead.'

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In the streets…

Kazane walked around Karakura town absentmindedly, not noticing where she was going. She stopped by the canal and sat down on the grass.

'_A shinigami who's on the verge of being consumed by his hollow… a Quincy who has lost his powers… a girl ill-suited for war… a Mexican that has a rare power but super low energy reserves… Gotei 13 which is short of 3 captains… and a few Vizards that seem intent of repaying Aizen… all that versus Aizen… fox-face Ichimaru… blind Tousen… and the whole of Hueco Mundo… as well as the Hougyoku…' _Kazane sighed and rested her head on her knees. _'Like hell we'll be able to win this war.'_

A shadow loomed over her. Its sinister aura was blowing at her at full blast. Yet, Kazane hardly looked up.

'Die, nameless arrancar.'

A long ice-dragon emerged from the canal and shot through the arrancar. It screamed as the dragon wrapped itself around it tightly. The arrancar froze in a big block of ice and with a click of her finger, the ice block shattered, taking the arrancar with it. Kazane looked at her hands, marveling the new-found strength. Something in her mind clicked. She clutched her hands into a fist and gazed up at the moon.

'I think… there's a way to win this. Let the curse turn into a blessing.'

**Blue Moon (Mizuki Nana)**

_hoshi o kakushiteru utsumuita hitomi ni  
tomadou dake nanimo deki nakute  
te to te kasanete mo dokoka gikochinai ne  
yume no naka mitai ni waratte yo_

yoru no kanata hibiku senritsu  
atsui mune wa sawagidasu

sasayaku Blue Moon te o nobashitara  
sugu ni todoki sou na noni  
itsumo yasashiku hohoemu dake de  
oikakete wa kurenai ne

ichibyou ichibyou hikaru sunatsubu da ne  
hitotsubu mo kobosenai wasurenai  
kiete shimai so na hosoku togaru tsuki ga  
muboubi na senaka ni tsume o tate

amaku nokoru kizuato fukaku  
kizamu akashi idaite ite

hakanai Blue Moon doushite kimi o  
suki ni natte shimatta no  
onaji bamen de togireta mama no  
kanashi sugiru monogatari

miageru Blue Moon kimi o omou toki  
watashi no jikan wa tomaru

nageki no Blue Moon hatenai yami no  
fukasa ni nomikomareteku  
kanawa nakute mo aishite imasu  
itsuka sora ga sakete mo  
eien ni omotte imasu

**(A/N: I do not own Blue Moon! It belongs solely to Mizuki Nana!)**

'Byakuya… Even after I said all those horrible words to you… even though I tried my best to break off my ties with you… in the end, I'm still…' Kazane coughed out blood. The crimson liquid glistened in the pale moonlight. 'I may never have the chance to say it again… I love you.'

Watching her from the pavement just along the canal… was her brother.

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Urahara Shoten… 1a.m.

'A new theory?' Urahara scrutinized the girl in front of him. She looked so confident… despite the fact that the theory was surely…

'Yeah. I thought it through…' Kazane fingered the edge of her shirt. 'I have… a new theory… about what's happening to me.'

'I see… What's happening to you and not why it's happening to you…' Urahara rested his head on his palms. 'Let's hear it then.'

'Well… I never told you this before but… these similar symptoms have happened before,' Kazane told him nervously. It caught his attention. She drew a deep breath and continued, 'Many years ago… before I became a shinigami… in fact, during my early days as a shinigami… I had powers over water and ice. I remembered very faintly, but at that time, I remembered that I could hear Haruka. What led to not being able to hear her at all… I don't know. A few months after I became a shinigami, I think I lost my powers. I don't remember exactly when… I was too focused on hiding my powers to notice that something was missing. I think the reason I couldn't control water or ice anymore was because… of the thing Mayuri put inside me.'

'What?' Urahara exclaimed. 'Are you saying that you were undergoing mutation even before this and the… thing that was put in you reversed the effect?'

'Yeah, that's what I think. There's no other explanation. Why the mutation suddenly stopped… why it suddenly appeared again after the substance shattered. I think… that the reason why I'm still living today is because of Mayuri.'

Urahara gave a bitter laugh. 'Ahaha… I guess you have someone to thank… if it weren't for Mayuri, things would have gone in an entirely different direction.'

'No,' Kazane reached out for his hand. 'Every little action accumulates to a huge reaction. Every action has a meaning. There are many reasons why I am like this today but… why I'm still living… It's because of you, Urahara-san. That's why… thank you. I… I trust you.'

Urahara stared at her, startled. His eyes suddenly were remorseful. 'I never told you the entire truth and yet… you have so much faith in me. Faith I never deserved…'

'No… I may be sounding cheesy but… Urahara-san is like a second father to me!' Kazane chuckled. 'I believe that Urahara-san has a reason… and that's enough.'

Urahara sighed and looked down. 'You… okay, I give up. Listen up. What I'm going to tell you is, well, it will determine what will happen in the future. Well, it depends on your decision actually but I trust… that you will choose the right path. Or, well, what you think is the right path.'

'Is the word well the word of the day? You must have dug your own well, that's why you're so hyped up about it!' Kazane deduced excitedly.

'Pay attention!' Urahara threw a Soul Candy at her. She caught it deftly and swallowed it down. Instantly, her soul detached from the gigai. Seeing that she was in her soul form, Urahara gestured to the floor. She shrugged and made her way down the basement. Urahara was just at her tail.

'Listen carefully. I know that you may feel… a bit angry at what I'm going to say but please give me your undivided attention,' Urahara took out his cane and tapped the floor. Kazane eyes him suspiciously. He continued, 'Over the years, I have seen only 11 such cases, each with different… endings. But, I have observed enough to find out a way to somewhat lessen the effect. There was one particularly interesting subject. He was able to merge his soul and consciousness with his zanpakto spirit. I had him do it for as long as he lived and as compared to the other subjects, he lived 40% longer. I deduced that the merging of consciousness was a way to dispose of any unwanted energy. Since it was the energy that killed most of them, if we can remove as much unwanted energy as possible, there's a chance that you will live much longer. Well, that's just a temporary measure but it works in prolonging your life. We can do that until we find a permanent solution.'

Kazane nodded. 'I was thinking of the same thing. Furthermore, it may prove to be… useful. Haruka, Shiroi and I all possess abilities that are higher than the norm. Haruka- her abilities, Shiroi- her reflexes and me- my intelligence. If these three are combined together, it'll be like…'

'A super soldier,' Urahara nodded in agreement. 'That is true. Well, I'll have to look up more about it. Now, on to another point. There's something I want to tell you before I change my mind about it. It's about… how to deal with the hougyoku.'

Kazane listened with upmost concentration. When he finished, she sighed. 'So in the end, it's still do and die and don't do and die…'

'That depends. With your new theory, the results may change.'

'I don't hope for another miracle, Urahara-san,' Kazane smiled. She handed him a disk. 'Here, you were intending to look up more about this, right? You can enter the database with this disk.'

Urahara accepted the disk. Kazane smiled and walked back to the ladder.

'Hey, wait.' Kazane turned around, bewildered. 'What do you mean by not hoping for another miracle?'

Kazane smiled brightly but her eyes held the desolate expression that even she could not hide. 'Miracles happen only once. I've used more than one in this lifetime.'

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**You know what? My word count is consistently inaccurate. First, I started off with a measly 1K. Then, it steadily rose up to 5K and then once, it flew up to 9K. Now, it's back to close to 4K (That's the word count NOW). So… to buff this chapter up, I'll be writing a special side story!!! Yay, clap hands, do the chicken dance… Hopefully, this will with you insight to the story! Ah, I can feel enlightment!!!**

**I'm known for dry puns. Thank you and have a nice day.**

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Presenting… The special side story!!! Actually, it's more of a character's reflection but there's exciting parts!!!

**Ichiru's Thoughts… Written in Ichiru's POV**

I knew it from the moment I first saw her. She was a noble, young and elegant. I was then a street tramp, born in a family that used to serve her family. Used to. Or you could say that my family escaped from poverty and miserable days by chaining themselves to stuck-up nobles for the whole of their lives. They still do. Or at least, the older generations do. They're still bonded to their charges so they can't leave. Ever. As for what caused that family to suddenly change their mind about not hiring us, I have no idea.

I hate nobles. We all street tramps do. But she was different. I knew it. Or… you could say that it was love at first sight. The mind tends to delude you when you're in love but the others I spoke to admitted that they pretty much have a crush on the younger noble. I wanted to get close to her. I couldn't. We lived in different worlds. It was too late now. There was no way that I could become her bodyguard or anything of the like. I was born too late.

I objected to the other's plan at first. By others, I mean the small group of us street tramps. They wanted to attack the noble princess and rob her. And something else. I didn't really like the idea. But there was a chance that I may see her face again. Nobles usually aren't allowed to show their faces to commoners. But the urge to see her face-to-face was so strong that it wasn't an urge anymore. It was desire. It was need. I feel embarrassed now when I look back to my foolish past, but at that time, it was all I could think of.

So I helped out. I was the best fighter in the group so I'd be fighting off the guards. The rest would slip past while they were distracted and capture the princess. Once they escaped safely, I would make a run for it. It seemed flawless. It wasn't.

That day, I remembered the incident so clearly. Everything was going according to plan at first. I had knocked out all the guards that were guarding her. Our leader had slipped inside the sedan and I could hear him yelling at her to move. It was followed by a calm and collected answer. I didn't hear the exact words but I was sure, by the leader's response, that it was somewhere along "Like hell I want to go with you", except that it was spoken in a more refined way. Well, the meaning's there anyways.

And then, there was a sudden strong burst of reiatsu. It was well controlled. It spread only the furthest member of the group and he wasn't far. I still don't know to this day how she managed to do that. Anyways, we all were paralyzed the moment it hit us and we collapsed to the floor. Wait; did I say all of us? No, I was the only one still standing. Well, I was struggling to stay on my feet. It was stifling and I couldn't breathe properly. My knees felt like they were about to buckle. But then, I was elated. I could finally feel her reiatsu. It stopped as soon as the others collapsed but I could still feel it. I had the feeling memorised in my head. It was cool and soft, just like how I imagined it. But the happiness quickly faded.

The appearance of a captain. The captain was a noble as well. She was letting off her reiatsu relentlessly. I fell to my knees and vomited. The princess was holding back on me, I realized. The captain was more merciless. I looked up at the captain and saw the cat-like eyes. She frowned and raised a hand.

'Wait.' That was the most blissful word I heard. The princess had stepped out of the sedan unnoticed and she was at the captain's side. I stared at disbelief. How could she stand so close to the captain like that? She was practically blasting it off! The captain's eyes softened when she looked at the princess.

'Jyuusan-hime, they were about to kidnap you!' the captain said indignantly.

'It's alright, Youruichi-dono. I'm completely alright,' the princess smiled softly. My heart melted at the sight. She continued, 'I think it would be best for us to return to the mansion. Thank you for accompanying me even though we never really got there. I really wanted to see the fireflies.' She smiled but I saw the disappointment in her eyes. I felt a pang in my heart.

'Ah, it's not often that you get permission to go outdoors. Too bad,' the captain rubbed the back of her head. 'Guess I'll have to badger your mother and your sensei to let you out on another day again…' she sighed and led her back to the sedan.

As I watched the sedan ride away, I felt horrible. I should have known. Nobles aren't allowed to leave the house freely. She must have taken a lot of effort to go out and yet I ruined the trip for her. I was horrible. She should have allowed the captain to kill me then.

'Hey, boy,' someone behind me said. I turned around quickly and saw two well-dressed men standing there. I regarded them suspiciously. One of the men stepped forward. 'I'm a trainer working to train bodyguards for nobles and I just saw that fight. It was good, despite your technique being a bit rough at the edges. I can take you in and train you. For free. You get to serve a noble the minute you graduate. I guarantee that.'

'Why should I?'

He looked at me with a smile. 'Jyuusan-hime hasn't gotten herself a bodyguard yet, so I've heard.' I accepted the deal immediately.

I next saw her a few years later. 5 years later, to be exact. I became the top student in the man's "Academy". The Hirako clan approved of me immediately. So I started my new "job" on the spot. I traced the princess to where she was and began tailing her. I'm sure she noticed but she didn't turn around and shoot me down or what-so-ever. I'm grateful for that, because she broke a few stalkers' arms that day.

I was astounded at the princess' ability in fighting. She improved so much over 5 years. Compared to her, my improvement was nothing. I begged her to teach me a few tricks and she agreed. She taught me her own technique- Mugetsu. It was a sign of trust. I was grateful for that trust. We spent almost every day of our lives together. I soon learnt of her fiancée and I grew jealous immediately. I was possessive of her, and yet I could never own her. I could never, ever. Not even when she wasn't a noble anymore. Her heart belonged to her ex-fiancée and no one else. I was hurt but I had to learn to respect her choices. I had to or else I would die from heart break. I'm not exaggerating. Kazane sometimes do such ruthless and reckless things that hurt me so much… if I don't learn to numb the pain, I would suffer from immense torture. It's always like that. She doesn't ask me before she makes a decision. But then again, why should she? I'm just a man who is helplessly in love with her. She doesn't have any obligations to report on every single thing she's going to do. There's another stab of pain in my heart whenever I think of this.

Right after she the Hirako clan fell from the ranks and Hirako Shinji came to pick up the pieces, Kazane enrolled in the Shinigami Academy. She could have enrolled in sooner. I knew that she took the entrance exam way before she met me. But yet, she didn't get in. No, rather, she chose not to get in. She failed the exam on purpose. I suppose it was to avoid seeing her brother. Anyways, this time she asked me if she could go under my name- Hiroshi. I agreed immediately. I reasoned that it was to help keep her identity safe and it did well. Never once did that brother of hers suspect that she was his sister. Well, that was when she was in Gotei 13. While she lived with him for the immensely short period of time, she never once showed him her face, preferring to avoid him completely or veil her face. I never really understood why but I followed along with the "game".

There was another thing that I noticed. All that was put up, all the faces and impressions that she made, they were all fake. A façade. A well put-up mask. I think I understood her. Deep down, very, very deep down, Kazane was just an ordinary girl. An ordinary girl that just wanted to have fun. She never could have fun due to her status and she could never show her true self to others. It was buried after all these years and it was never dug up. Maybe some of the people who were close to her, like me, noticed but we never probed. We all knew her enough to know that she was delicate. The façade was well put-up but if anyone tried to disrupt it, it would collapse. But recently, when I saw her, she seemed more… opened. She was still cool and composed but she seemed slightly livelier than before. I didn't know what caused this change in her but it was surely because of the Human World. I was angry at her leaving for no reason but seeing the effects it had on her… it really made me contented.

I was shocked to see Kazane back in Seireitei. The people in Central 46 pronounced her dead a fortnight after her disappearance. I never thought I'd see her again. It came as a surprise when I felt her reiatsu again, as faint as it was. It was coming from the sky, quickly descending. I grew hopeful, and yet I was terrified. She was not in Seireitei and yet she… she was going to crash into the barrier? She'll die! I was frightened. Was she going to go just like that? No, she's not reckless to that point. If it's her… if it's her, what'll she do? I then realized that I knew so little about her. How could I claim myself to be one of her closest companions?

I met up with Youruichi-dono afterwards. I mean, when all the fights ended and Kazane was recuperating in the 4th Division. I stayed by her side the whole time. Well, there were times when I left for… necessary stuff and there may have been a visitor in the time that I was gone but I made sure that her visitors stayed at a minimum. Youruichi-dono came just a day before she woke up.

'Ah, you're still sitting here like a dog?' Youruichi-dono laughed. 'I was thinking you were guarding her coffin- you know, the thing they do to prevent little cats from jumping over it.'

'Youruichi-dono,' I acknowledged stiffly. I was never fond of her. She was too easygoing, too much of a bad influence for Kazane. I disapproved of their friendship but what could I say? She was a noble, and I, a commoner, had no power to even raise my head against her. Of course, that was different now that I was a shinigami. But the difference in social standing still stands. There would always be this tension- mostly due to my slight dislike. Not that I really wanted to be her friend. She was too hazardous for my own health.

Youruichi-dono grinned. She walked over and sat down on the other side of the bed, opposite of me. I stiffened slightly and her eyes caught even that. She grinned even more. 'Don't you have something to say to me?'

'No,' I answered cautiously.

'Liar,' she snorted and propped her leg up. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Youruichi saw and laughed. 'Yet you're so openly expressing your dislike for me. What a joke!'

'What's a joke?' I blurted out. I caught myself and hung my head, embarrassed. 'I'm sorry. I acted on impulse. I should have been more careful.'

'Just say whatever you like. It's not like I have the power to punish you for shooting your head off anyways,' Youruichi-dono said nonchalantly. I studied her. She seemed… sincere enough. Perhaps that was the wrong word.

'I…' I hesitated. 'I don't like you relationship with Kazane! I… I don't approve!' I caught myself saying it and covered my mouth immediately. My face grew red. How could I have done something like that?

'Yeah, you probably would,' Youruichi-dono agreed. I was surprised. 'I'm not exactly the pinnacle of goodness that should be there as an example for Kaza-chan. I do dangerous stuff and sometimes I even endanger Kaza-chan. I'm not good in the etiquette that a noble should be well-versed in. It's obvious. I'm the worst kind of example for her.'

'Then why… why do you even be her… her… friend?' I burst out. 'She deserves nothing but the best and yet…'

'Because she accepts me and I accept her. It's a mutual friendship,' Youruichi-dono replied. 'What about you?'

'I… Well, I… I want to be the closest companion she's ever had. But yet…' I hesitated. Why should I tell her?

'You don't understand her?'

She caught me off guard. How did she find out? 'Yes… I tried so hard to let her see how painful her decisions are to me. I didn't bother hiding it and showed it to her. I thought that she would realize that what she's doing is… really painful to those around her. And yet…'

'Instead of making her understand you, why not you try to understand her?' Youruichi-dono suggested. I stared. 'You don't understand her properly, that's why you don't see the meaning in her actions. Everything she does, every word she speaks, they all have a meaning. Not one word, not one fidget is wasted in her actions and words. You understand this, don't you? You've seen her play chess. It's the same for her as well.'

I understood that part. Kazane reads things so ahead and plans her moves to end everything quickly. Could it be…?

'Well, I have to go!' Youruichi-dono stood up and left. 'Think about what I said, okay? It's not surprising that you don't understand her. Even Byakuya can't read her completely. Don't worry; you'll get better over time. Just try to see things her way.'

See things her way? I'd give anything to see the world in her eyes for just a second. I heard her cry out at night when she was having a nightmare. I know her likes from what clothes she likes to wear to the food she likes to eat. I've been with her long enough to know her quirks and see past the mask that she wore to the point that it nearly became permanent. Did this not qualify as understanding her?

What more do I need to do to understand her?

How is this not enough?

Please tell me, Kazane.

**OMG, I'm done. I know it's a bit weird… I tried to write out his feelings as clear as possible. I so love writing in Ichiru's POV! It's like… forbidden love! I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed typing it out. Please RXR!**


	17. Chapter 17

_**Hoi Hoi! I know I haven't been updating lately and this chapter is really short but I hope you'll understand… I had my mid terms and I didn't really do as well as I wanted for a few subjects so I was a bit mopey for the past few weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to write out at least another chapter by the end of this month!**_

_In a rural town…_

'_So cool! Juu-nee, please do it again!' the children crowded around the older and more matured girl and squealed excitedly. The older girl laughed and clasped her hands together. She squeezed her eyes tightly and muttered a few incoherent words. Seconds later, she opened her hands to show the little children the little flower that had mysteriously appeared on her hand. The children screamed with delight and snatched the flower off her hand. The girl smiled warmly and walked away to let them "savor" the flower._

'_Juuri.'_

_The girl froze and turned around slowly. She met the eyes of an old lady, 5 times her age and many times… plumper._

'_Master,' Juuri bowed respectfully. 'What graces me with your presence?'_

'_Come. The Elders would like to talk with you,' the lady swept away. Juuri followed her hurridly._

'_Why? The Elders don't just see anyone. I'm just a normal girl…' Juuri babbled on._

'_Insolence! I'll execute you!' the lady boomed. Juuri fell silent. They continued their brisk walk._

'… _Is it about the village?' Juuri asked softly. 'If it is, then I'll do anything to help her.'_

'… _We're here.' The lady got on her knees and slid open the sliding door. Juuri fell to her knees quickly and took her place behind the lady. They both gave a deep bow and then shuffled into the room._

'…_Your name is Juuri?' a stern, old voice rang out clearly. Juuri looked up to see 5 really old men in the room, all adorned in expensive fabric and accessories. _

'_Yes, my Lord,' Juuri bowed. The man nodded. All 5 took their time to examine the girl. She was average in height, although she was a bit thin compared to the other girls in the village. Her soot black hair was glossy and reached her waist. It was tied into a plait with a grey ribbon. She wore simple, plain clothes with specks of dirt on it. The most distinguishable feature of hers was her eyes- they were a clear, light blue._

'_Hm…' the man in the centre stroked his beard. 'She is suitable material… Good job on finding her, 34__th__ Master.'_

'_No, it was no trouble,' the lady bowed. 'She was just a ripe fruit waiting on our only fruit tree to be plucked. Her talent was obvious from the beginning. What's more, her special abilities will surely appease you, my Lord.'_

_Juuri looked on curiously. The old men nodded and began discussing something. After a long while, they finally broke apart. The man in the centre smiled and announced, 'We have come to a conclusion. Starting from tomorrow, Juuri will be a student at the 34__th__ Master's special school. We look forward to your outstanding results. We believe… that you will surely bring about peace and glory to our village.'_

_Juuri didn't understand what they were talking about then, but she beamed with pride._

_5 years later…_

_Juuri walked down the streets of the village. It was nearing midnight… it was a new moon that night. She absentmindedly fingered a sharp object on her waist, playing with the deadly edge._

_The only clock in the town struck midnight. _

_Instantly, the sharp object flew out of her hands and struck the man she was tailing. He fell down, dead._

'_Juuri.'_

_Juuri spun around quickly and knelt down. The Master was staring down at her._

'_You've done well again, Juuri. As expected of our village's pride…' she smirked and caressed Juuri's hair. _

'_I'm not worthy of this praise, Master. There is still much to learn,' Juuri bowed her head._

'_No, you are sufficiently educated. The Elders and I have decided to reward you. Starting from tomorrow… actually, today, you shall be allowed to mingle once more with the people of the village. It's a first for all the girls that have passed through my teachings. Consider yourself lucky,' the woman smiled._

'_Thank you very much!' Juuri bowed. _

_1 week later…_

'_Juu-nee, please do the trick again!' the children crowded around her once more. Juuri gave a small laugh and produced an ice bird out of nowhere. The children squealed and snatched the bird away to play. An old man that was supervising the children smiled and laughed._

'_Juuri, it's been so long since the children have laughed so much. Thank you for bringing joy to their lived again. It hasn't been the same without you,' the man nodded. Juuri smiled and gave a thumb up._

'_Juu-nee, have you heard the story of the Winter Comet?' one of the girls had broken away from the group and walked over to where Juuri and the old man were. _

'_Winter Comet? No… I haven't heard of it. Is it a new myth?' Juuri asked._

'_No! It's definitely not a myth. It's a legend that came out 2 years ago!' the girl waved her hands about excitedly._

'_Dear, it's too… young to be considered a legend,' the man laughed. 'What she means is that an old myth has been resurfaced.'_

'_But that means the same thing!' the girl argued indignantly._

'_So, what's this myth about?' Juuri asked again._

_The girl's eyes grew misty as she recounted, 'Master told this at the annual bonfire 2 years ago. At that time, mysterious killings have suddenly appeared! Everyone was in a state of panic. But the Master was so calm and cool. At the bonfire, she read to everyone this legend._

"_The Winter Comet is the protector of all women and the enemy of all men that dare violate their powers over women. She is a goddess of mercy and destruction. She cloaks the sinners with her icy wrath. It is said… that the Winter Comet is actually a heartbroken goddess that was betrayed by her human lover. Unable to control her wrath, she fired Comets in the coldest of winter to those that have sinned. Every winter, the women who have suffered injustice will pray to the Winter Comet. The Winter Comet will hear their cries and pain, and her wrath will be unleashed once more. On the coldest night of winter, at exactly on the stroke of midnight, the Winter Comet will strike!"_

'_Of course, now the men don't die on the coldest night of winter. They die whenever they have sinned. It's a blessing towards the women!' the girl squealed excitedly._

_Juuri gave a small smile. 'Is it true?'_

'_Yes! Master said it herself! It's surely true!' _

_The old man smiled and nodded. 'There has been discriminating evidence.'_

'_I see…' Juuri had a thoughtful expression on her face._

_1 week later…_

_The Master stood in front of her students in the training hall. She smiled at everyone. 'I'm sure you all have heard about the "Winter Comet". It was rather ingenious of our Elders, was it not?'_

'_Yes,' the students replied in unison._

_She smiled and continued, 'On the Elder's advice, I have decided that everyone will have a second name in addition to their given names. For example… Juuri will now be called Fuyusuisei, the Winter Comet.'_

'_Ah, why does she have the honor of being called Fuyusuisei?' one of the students protested._

'_Juuri is our star in this village. Her success rate is perfect and she graduated in record time. Tell me, does she not deserve to be acknowledged for her efforts? And what's more… the Elders chose this name specially for her. Does anyone else have an objection to Juuri's name?' The Master looked around, scrutinizing each and every one of their faces. She met with no objections. 'Very well, I shall now start assigning your names…'_

_She walked to the boy beside Juuri on the first row. 'Hmm… I am indeed fortunate to have come upon elemental users… and three ice-based too… Your powers are second next to Fuyusuisei's. Therefore… you should have the honor of having a wonderful name like Fuyusuisei… hmm… how about… Hyourinmaru?'_

'_I humbly accept that name, my Master,' the boy bowed down deeply._

_She turned to the other girl standing beside him. 'You too are an ice-based user. Well… I'm running out of ideas… Shirayuki?'_

'_I graciously accept that name, Master,' she bowed._

_The Master continued and spent a lot of time deciding on names for her pupils. Really weird names came out, such as Zabimaru for a really sly guy that people never really took notice of, Ruriro Kujaku for a proud and obnoxious guy that seemed gay… well, you get the picture. But others couldn't really care about what others were named._

_Because they were all 'rivals'._

_3 years later…_

_Two swift pairs of feet flew through the grass like the wind, the soles barely touching the floor before leaping off the ground again. Behind them, several pairs of feet could be heard._

'_There's too many… we have no choice but to run…' Juuri commented. The boy beside her shook his head._

'_That'll be a disgrace to Master's teachings, Fuyusuisei,' the boy argued._

'_A true student of Master would know when to run and when to fight back. If we fight them now, there's no chance of winning. But if we fight them when the time is right… Hyourinmaru, trust me. I'll tell you when we can attack,' Juuri said with such conviction that he believed her._

'_What is Master thinking, putting us through this Battle Royale? Even though she knows that we both will be targeted by the other students…' Hyourinmaru grumbled. 'They don't have a chance of catching up to us. We've been doing 3 times the amount of physical and stamina training as them.'_

'_Don't forget that some have the wind on their side…' Juuri rolled her eyes. Her eyes darted back and they narrowed. 'Attack with a wave of ice. NOW!' they wheeled back and placed both palms facing the enemy. A strong gust of wind came and a thick wave of ice came crashing from their palms._

'_That should hold them off for a bit. Let's go!' Juuri called to him. He nodded and they sprinted off again._

'_That was… unmelting ice?' Hyourinmaru asked. 'When did you learn that?'_

'_Twisting the extent of our powers. In reality, there's no such thing as an ice-user. We are merely benders of the water vapor around us. By injecting our powers into the atmosphere, we can continue the regeneration of ice. That is, of course, until the power runs out,' Juuri wiped sweat off her forehead. 'Let's find a safe place to hide first!'_

'_Sure! I know just the pla-' he stopped in his tracks._

'_Hyou?' Juuri turned around and gasped. An arrow was protruding out of his chest. His mouth spurted out blood as he collapsed to the floor. Juuri's eyes widened as she watched her comrade fall to the floor. 'Hyou… Hyou… Ryu!'_

_His eyes opened a fraction of an inch. 'Juu…ri…'_

'_Hyou! Please… don't… please don't die!' Juuri hugged his cold body tightly. 'No!'_

'_Sorry… Looks like I'll be leaving a step before you…' he gave a weak laugh._

'_No…' Juuri cried._

_Hyou looked up at her and touched her face. 'Why are you crying? We all… our cursed lives were sealed the moment we stepped into that school. We all were destined to die in the line of duty… We all were destined to never have any emotional attachments…'_

'_Haha… Looks like I failed at being Master's best student…' Juuri managed a small smile. Another tear trickled down her cheek._

_Hyou smiled. 'If you liked me that much… why… don't you… follow me?' his hand dropped and his eyes closed. Juuri's body froze with shook._

'_Hyou… no, Ryu!' Juuri cried. 'No… you were my only comrade…'_

_Someone behind her snorted and laughed. 'Imagine that. Our village's pride is emotionally attached to this pip-squeak. How's that, Senbon. They even call each other by their original names.'_

_Juuri turned around quickly to see the two men standing behind her. One was tall and arrogant while the other was medium built with a large bow. Her eyes widened at the sight of the second man._

'_Sakura…' Juuri's voice broke. 'You… you killed… killed Hyou…?'_

'_Senbonzakura, don't listen to that pathetic girl. Kill her immediately!' the man beside him shouted. Senbonzakura raised his bow unsteadily and pointed it at Juuri._

'_Sakura… Why… I thought we were…' Her eyes started to well up with tears. 'Don't do it… please, Sakura.'_

'_Fuyu, I know that our relationship is… but I have to follow orders. I'm under his command. I can't…' he had a pained expression on his face. 'I'm sorry. This is for the best.' The arrow left the bow._

_And that was the last straw._

_Her fury knew no bounds. All her power split out of her body like torrents of crashing waves. Every sliver of water in the atmosphere froze to a deadly freezing sheet of ice. The two men doubled up and knelt down._

'_What's happening…' Senbonzakura croaked out._

'_70% of your body is made of water. Let's see how it goes when all that water turns to ice,' Juuri said in a deadly whisper as she stood up, cradling her lost comrade in one hand. 'You betrayed me, Sakura…'_

'_Fuyu! No, wait! I can explain!' he struggled to stand up. Ice was forming on his fingertips._

'_To hell with this damn village. To hell with all the students here,' Juuri said as she left the scene in slow, steady steps._

'_To hell with you too, Sakura.'_

_In the Master's Room…_

_The Master stood up quickly as the door slid open with a bang. Juuri stood there with cold eyes, dumping Hyourinmaru on the floor._

'_Juuri…' her eyes were shocked as she took in the bloodied clothes and the corpse lying on the floor. She smiled, 'So you emerged as the victor again, Juuri! I knew you would. You're the glory of this village. You're now the best! Let's go tell the Elders.'_

'_The Elders are dead,' Juuri said coldly. The Master froze in her tracks, turning slowly to look at the girl. Juuri continued, 'I killed them.'_

'_Why-' the Master coughed out blood. She felt a stab of pain in her stomach and looked down. An icicle was lodged in her stomach, giving out a faint, cool mist. 'Juuri… you… you betrayed the village!'_

'_You're the ones that betrayed me,' Juuri walked over to the old woman. 'I heard it all from the Elders. They were begging for mercy in the end. "Make her kill her comrades and drown her in guilt. We'll completely dominate her mind by then." That's the plan, right? That's why you set Senbonzakura on me. But in the end, it's still the survival of the fittest. You're not the strongest out there, woman.'_

_The woman coughed out blood as she reached for Juuri in rage. A few more icicles formed around her and dived into her…_

'_Fuyusuisei… Winter Comet… Looks like you chose the right name, woman,' Juuri walked away._

**Present time…**

Kazane woke up in cold sweat. She sat up slowly, wiping her eyes with her shaking hands. 'Was that… a memory…? Haruka's?' She picked up the file that was lying beside her and looked up at the clock. 'Argh, it's 3.30 in the morning. Looks like I fell asleep in Urahara's room again…' She sighed and closed the file gently. 'Wait, the file wasn't opened before I slept, was it? And what was it with that dream just now. Fuyusuisei… That's Haruka's name… Haruka's… memory? But how…' Kazane rubbed her face and felt the tears on her cheeks. She sobbed and hugged her legs to her chest.

'I wanted to know her past so much… I called her every night to see if I could persuade her to tell me subconsciously. But now that I've seen it, I suddenly feel like forgetting everything…'

**An hour or so back…**

Hirako Shinji stalked the streets moodily. Ever since he met his long lost lonely little sister (Hey! That's 4 Ls in a row!), he had been going about with his daily business with much less gusto and much more… moodiness. He pulled his blond hair in frustration and grumbled, 'Argh! And she just had to disappear from her house too! How am I supposed to interrogate her about why she was hiding… and what's with that thing that came out of her? It's friggin' unreal.'

He looked about and noticed the very inconspicuous shop sitting between the two buildings. 'Hey, isn't that Urahara's shop? Hey, maybe I can ask him…' he bounded up the steps and kicked open the door with unnatural strength. 'Hello! Anyone there?' There was an eerie silence. Shinji started sweating buckets. 'Hell, this is creeping me out. He-llo! Is anyone there? C'mon, it can't take a lot of energy to answer a poor boy like me. It's morning! You all should be full of energy! Well, it is 2am so it technically is morning…'

No answer.

'Okay, so you all are busy dozing off. Fine, I'll find someone who isn't dozing off,' Shinji called. Silence. Disgruntled, he stomped over to the back corridor where the rooms were. He spotted a light coming from the furthest room. 'Aha! There's someone who's wide awake in the morning!'

He gave a mad-dash to the room and slammed open the door… to see Kazane sleeping on the floor in a thin tank top and tights. Blood gushed out of his nose and he averted his eyes. 'What the hell is she doing here? Eh? There's some mighty interesting book beside her…' he inched his way to the file and snatched it up quickly. He snuck a glance at the sleeping girl and another gush of blood came running out. Dabbing his nose with his sleeve, he opened the file and took a quick glance.

'Eh… What… is this?' he scanned the pages in record time and read through the whole file. 'What the heck is she reading this for? And all the notes on the margins… What- accelerated growth in reiatsu? What the heck?'

'Hirako-san,' Urahara appeared at the door in his nightwear and told him sleepily. 'For god's sake we aren't nocturnal.'

Shinji's hand suddenly came very close to Urahara's neck. 'I want the truth. Now. She didn't mention this to me earlier.'

'Hmm…' Urahara rubbed the beck of his head, not perturbed by the murderous aura spewing out from the boy in front of him. 'Since she didn't tell you anything, I suppose she doesn't want you to know. I have no authority then, to tell you the exact details…'

'Don't shit with me! She's my… she's my…' the words he had been intending to say got stuck in his throat.

'Your sister?' Urahara provided calmly.

'Yeah… Wait, how did you know?' Shinji eyed him warily.

'I had my suspicions. Just a few hours ago, I confronted her and she told me the whole story. It's really not much of a big deal at this time,' Urahara shrugged nonchalantly. 'After all, we've got the Winter War to worry about.'

'What the heck is happening to her?' Shinji growled dangerously low.

'That file should be self explanatory, shouldn't it?' Urahara looked away and scratched his head. 'Not much left to explain…'

'Why?'

'Hm… That's what I'd like to know as well. Apparently, she was already undergoing this since she was young…' he yawned and turned away. 'It's really late. Go home, Hirako-san. There's nothing you can really do to help here…'

'Damn!' he dropped the file and punched the wall.

**Next Day… Actually, in the more decent hours in the morning on the same day…**

Kazane yawned and sat up. 'Aw, I fell asleep again… I suppose I should go to school today too… God knows what'll happen if I leave Ichigo for him to bug…' She looked out of the small window sadly. 'How much longer will these halcyon days last?'

How many days indeed…

**In School…**

Kazane sighed and sat down at her seat. She rested her head on her palm and looked out of the window lazily.

'Good morning!' Orihime smiled and greeted. Kazane looked up and nodded.

'Morning. Are you unhurt?' Kazane asked softly.

'I'm 100% Okay!' Orihime smiled energetically.

'That's good then,' Kazane looked back out of the window, playing with her hair.

'Morning Kurosaki-kun!' Orihime greeted Ichigo who just came in.

'…Morning. You aren't hurt, are you?' Orihime shook her head and Ichigo nodded his head in satisfaction. He then sat at his seat and rested his head on his desk.

'The Kurosaki siblings are so alike it's scary!' someone murmured.

'Yeah, they even picked the same day to be moody! And their response to Inoue-san… Is this a set-up?'

'I'm getting the chills here… Can someone turn on the heater?'

'Heater? It's the dead of the summer, you idiot! But… now that you mention it… I do feel very… cold…'

Kazane sighed and dropped her head into her palm. _'I'm losing control… Damn, I got to find a way to release all this spare energy…'_

'Good morning, everyone!' Shinji literally skipped into the classroom and gave a cheerful wave. Kazane groaned and her head sank deeper into her hand, if that was possible.

'Good morning Hirako-kun,' Orihime smiled. Shinji hugged her and greeted her as well.

'Morning, Kurosaki-chan! Are you having a headache again?' Shinji sat on the edge of her table and patted her head. 'I could always bring you back to the nurse's…'

'No way, you sick pervert,' Kazane growled menacingly. 'You seem awfully cheerful for someone who didn't sleep all night.'

'Eh, how did you know?' Shinji cocked his head to the side.

Ishida, who was just behind them, said stonily. 'Your panda eyes stand out… I could spot them from a mile away.'

'Yes, you would be able to, wouldn't you? After all, you people are known for that…' Shinji said in an undertone, just loud enough for Ishida and Kazane to hear. Kazane frowned.

There was a sudden screeching of a chair as Ichigo stood up abruptly. 'Hirako, come with me!' Ichigo grabbed Shinji's collar and dragged him out of the classroom. Even with the absence of that man's presence, the two remained like a stone statue in their seats. Ishida sighed heavily. Kazane let her head fall back to the desk.

'Hey… don't tell me those two are in some sort of conspiracy too…'

'No way… Ishida and Kurosaki? They are like... hey, actually, they do seem quite compatible- ep!'

Kazane and Ishida both threw them a death glare. The student slowly backed away and sat back down on their seats, waiting for class to start.

**After school in the late afternoon…**

Kazane wandered around the school absentmindedly, stopping outside the music room. She fingered the wooden door but a pained expression crossed her face and she turned away.

'Aren't you going in?'

Kazane turned around to see her older (biological) brother leaning against the wall, arms crossed and a pissed off look on his face.

Kazane toyed with a lock of her hair and replied, 'No. What business would I have there?'

'True, true,' Shinji nodded nonchalantly. There was a brief pause. 'Let's go meet the other Vizards.'

'Huh? The other captains and vice-captains…' Kazane hesitated. 'Are you sure?'

Shinji snorted, 'if I weren't sure, I wouldn't have even suggested it in the first place!' Shinji gripped her wrist. 'Let's go.'

Kazane submitted and allowed him to lead her to the abandoned warehouse in the industrial part of the town.

**Dun dun dun DUUUUUUUN! Kaza-chan's finally going to meet the Vizards for the first time in a hundred years! Cliffy… or not. This is quite short so please don't go angry and start flaming me for my inconsistency in chapter length… I'm really pressed for time and I want to get this chapter done and posted since there hasn't been an update for very long…**


	18. Chapter 18

**It's finally done! Yay! Thanks to all those that have reviewed and story alerted and story fav-ed. I'd like to express my gratitude to all those that have stayed with me through the past year, reading and reviewing this fanfiction. It's at its halfway mark so please stay tuned!**

**Abandoned warehouse in the Industrial part of Karakura Town…**

Kazane and Shinji stopped outside a relatively large piece of empty land. Kazane touched an invisible barrier and flinched slightly when it repelled her.

'You've been living here for long?' Kazane asked. Shinji shook his head.

'We're the wanderers, you know that. We're just here for Ichigo,' Shinji shrugged.

'And this barrier?' Kazane knocked the wall of the barrier.

'Hachi did it. He gained an uncanny ability in this sort of stuff after the incident,' Shinji walked up to the barrier and kicked it. He hollered,' Oi, Hachi! Open up, we have a guest!'

The barrier dropped in a few seconds. A large, abandoned warehouse came into view, as well as a flying sandal.

SMACK! A short girl with two ponytails kicked Shinji on the head with her trusty straw sandal, sending him flying back a few feet. Hiyori snapped, 'Oi, we asked you to bring back Kurosaki Ichigo, not some random chick, you baka!'

'Who're you calling a baka, Hiyori?' Shinji cried out indignantly as he tried to stem the flow of blood pouring down from his nose.

Hiyori ignored the protests coming from the blond and turned to examine Kazane closely. She took in the modest full-length sleeves that Kazane worn instead of the short sleeved blouse and the grey skirt that was 3 inches from her knee as well as the black stockings that covered what her skirt could not. Hiyori sneered, 'And who're you?'

'Ara, did I mature too much for you to recognize me, Sarugaki-fukutaicho?' Kazane smirked and flicked her long blond hair back.

Hiyori twitched. 'That arrogant tone… could it be… Hiroshi chick?' Hiyori gasped in horror.

'Chick? I'm glad that you think so highly of me, Hiyori-chan,' Kazane smiled as she looked down (No pun intended) at the hot-tempered girl. Hiyori twitched and grabbed her sandal to whack her former subordinate.

'Be polite to your superiors, you arrogant chick!' Hiyori yelled as she swung her sandal at Kazane with frightening force. Kazane caught the sandal with one hand and threw it back at her.

'Ah… but if I remember correctly, I'm _your _superior, Hiyori-chan,' Kazane smiled brightly as she remembered her past few days in Seireitei.

'Wh-what the heck?' Hiyori spluttered and pointed a finger at her. She was about to punch her when someone grabbed her from behind.

'Don't fight here. We're still in the open, don't forget,' an irritable voice rang out.

Hiyori turned her head to look at the man who grabbed her. 'Kensei…'

Kensei looked at Kazane and nodded. Kazane gave a nod in return, saying, 'Nice to meet you again after all these years, Muguruma-taicho.'

A vein popped in his temple. 'Don't call me that. It makes me feel old. Come on, we'll continue this inside.'

Kensei dragged an angry Hiyori back into the warehouse with Kazane following them cheerily. Shinji lay forgotten outside, dead from excessive blood loss. **(Just joking, I won't let him die so easily)**

**In the warehouse…**

'Ah, look Lisa, there's the Hiroshi girl that often visited your office,' a man with long, blond, girly, permed hair said as he looked up from his manga. He whistled, 'Boy, she looks cuter than usual in that skirt. Are you gonna make a hit on her, Lisa?'

Lisa blushed and fumed, 'I am not Yuri, you idiot Rose!'

'Says the one that reads erotic manga,' the guy with a spiked afro commented.

'I'm just greatly obsessed with them!' Lisa said indignantly.

'People, please calm down, especially you two, Lisa and Love. We have a guest here, in case you have forgotten,' Hachigen said as he went over to the makeshift kitchen to brew some tea.

'I have not forgotten!'

'Who're you calling a guy with an attention span less than a mouse?'

'Now now, I didn't say that…'

Kazane stifled a laugh and said, 'Things are sure lively around here.'

'It's Kaza-chan!' Mashiro jumped up from here seat and rushed to hug the very much more matured girl.

'Long time no see, fellow exiled shinigami!' Kazane gave them a friendly salute.

**Cutting you off briefly to bring you to the scene in Seireitei (Please no rotten tomatoes!)**

Kuchiki Byakuya picked up the blue scarf on the floor of overgrown grass. He caressed it gently, noting that the butterfly pin was still attached onto the silky fabric of the scarf. He sighed and sat down on the poorly maintained floor of the porch. It had been decades since he last came here and he wondered now why he had chosen this particular day to come. He took out his zanpakto and unsheathed it. Running his fingers across the surface of the blade, he stopped when he felt the slight dent on the blade.

'So even one single petal can affect the whole blade…' the young heir mumbled to himself. He remembered the words that Kazane had said to him when they first met after a whole century.

'_Byakuya, the next time we meet will most likely be in Seireitei. If you manage to come up with a new style and defeat me with it, I'll return this fragment of your power. Ja!' _

He growled in frustration. How was he supposed to come up with a new style after he had been using Mugetsu for almost his whole life. The style was too closely woven into his fights for him to detach himself from it. He didn't realize that Mugetsu was originally a style used for long weapons but he had adapted to that flaw until it had become almost non-existent. The flaw had appeared once again after exchanging blows with Kazane.

He thought back about Kazane's two-faced zanpakto. He had never seen its true release before and he was stunned by the beauty of it. It rivaled his adopted sister in terms of beauty and was on par with most of the captains in terms of strength. In addition to that, it was highly adaptable and her quick thinking sharpened that gift till it was near perfect. He visualized the scene in his head again, noting how fast she came up with strategies to overcome Aizen. He sighed. Even though he was older than her, he felt by far inferior to her.

'_If I can't beat her in quick thinking, I'll just have to go for the direct and sure-kill. But… how…?'_

'_You're confused, Byakuya.'_

'_Senbonzakura?'_

'_Yes. It seems that the mistake you made so many years ago is finally having its repercussions. Without all my petals, we won't be able to fight at full force. Well, you never fought at full force before but still…'_

'_It worries me that I'm handicapped. I need to get back that petal as quickly as possible.'_

'_Byakuya, did you seriously not notice… during the fight on the hill…?'_

'_Notice what?'_

'_Oh, nothing. Maybe it was just my imagination.'_

'… _Do you have any way to defeat her?'_

'_She's better than you in every way, Byakuya. Defeating her isn't as easy as you'd imagine it to be. Even if you train for a hundred years, if you don't know her weak points –provided that she has one-, defeating her is near impossible. Well, I guess you'll have to go the tiring way and come up with a new style.'_

'_How can a new and unpolished style rival her Mugetsu?'_

'_It'll take her off by surprise. That'll give you a split-second advantage to get your sure-kill attack.'_

'… _I'll think about it.'_

'_Be quick, because you don't have much time…' _

**Now, moving back to the situation at the warehouse…**

'What's a chick like you doing with us? Are you going to bring us back to Seireitei?' Hiyori asked furiously, glaring at Kazane who was sitting on the couch drinking the tea served by Hachi.

'No way, no way. I have no intention of dragging you all back at the moment. After all, your services are required for Ichigo,' Kazane waved her hand at her.

Hiyori spluttered, 'Our services? We ain't no butler that you can hire and dispose of any time you want! I have half a mind to go back right now!'

'I never said you guys were butlers, Hiyori-chan. Although… the part about having half a mind may explain why you have complete inability to create _working _inventions,' Kazane taunted playfully. A vein burst in Hiyori's temple and she started to kick and punch Kazane. Kazane blocked every single attack with one hand while balancing her tea cup with the other.

'Hiyori,' Kensei warned from behind.

'I did no wrong! She's the one that insulted me!' Hiyori argued.

'But she's right about the part about your incompetency in invention,' Lisa said behind her manga.

'Lisa!' Hiyori glared at the woman.

'Now, now, don't get into a fight because of a little comment that accidentally slipped out of my mouth,' Kazane chuckled sadistically.

'Like hell it was accidental!' Hiyori had to be restrained by Kensei to prevent her from mauling Kazane.

Shinji, who was recovering from the blood loss, suddenly looked up. 'Hey… something you said earlier got me interested…'

'Hai, Shinji?' Kazane smiled.

'What did you mean… when you said "I'm _your _superior, Hiyori-chan"? if Hiyori is a fukutaicho, then the only position that is higher is… a taicho…'

'Bingo!' Kazane responded cheerily.

Shinji sweat dropped. 'What the hell do you mean by bingo?'

'I meant you got it correct. Unless one is accepted into the zero division, the highest remaining position possible for them is a taicho's position. That's common sense, isn't it?' Kazane said innocently.

'So what you meant was… you attained the position of a captain?' Shinji yelped.

'What the heck! That means that she's still part of the Gotei 13!' Hiyori pointed an accusing finger at Kazane.

'No, no, I'm exiled, like you guys,' Kazane waved it off lightly. 'But I won't deny it.'

Kensei looked thoughtful but had that irritated look on his face at the same time. 'Denying that you're part of the Gotei 13 and claiming that you have attained a higher position than Hiyori… there can only be two possible explanations for that. One, you became a taicho before you were exiled. Two, you became a taicho even after you were exiled.'

Kazane chuckled, 'You're good. I guess you didn't become a taicho just because of your muscles.'

'So, which is it?' Kensei glared at Kazane. Kazane simply smiled brightly in return, never once flinching at his scorching glare.

Hiyori twitched uncontrollably. 'Fine, if you won't tell us, I'll just beat it out of you!' She grabbed her zanpakto from her back and pointed it towards Kazane. 'Get up and fight me, you lazy-assed chick!'

Kazane sighed and handed her cup over to Hachi, thanking him and annoying Hiyori even more. With the ever-bright smile on her face, she pulled out her bladeless zanpakto and released it. 'Destroy the world with your pain and sorrow… Fuyusuisei.' The zanpakto transformed into her sword and Kazane got into position.

'Hey, hey, isn't this a little unsafe?' Love sweated at the sight of the two ladies (Pardon me, one lady and an immature brat) raising their swords to a death match.

'Like hell I care! Hachi! Barrier!' Hiyori yelled. Hachi sighed heavily and complied.

'Now, now, that isn't the way to ask someone for a favour, is it, Hiyori-chan?' Kazane smirked at Hiyori's twitching face.

'To hell with you!' Hiyori dashed forward and poured a massive amount of energy into her blade. The blade was aimed towards her neck…

PIANG! Kazane caught the blade while side stepping and broke it apart. Hiyori's surprised and terrified face was seen and Kazane smirked at that.

'I always know when I can break one's blade, even with my own bare hands. That's a common tactic I use, since it affects the opponent physically and psychologically. Wouldn't you agree?' Kazane dropped the pieces of Hiyori's blade on the ground. Hiyori trembled and her hands lost their grip on her broken zanpakto. It clattered onto the floor, making a loud sound in the suddenly very quiet room. Kazane stared at the frozen (No ice involved, by the way) girl and sighed, 'It's okay; I didn't do anything except break it into a few pieces. It should return into its original form by tomorrow.'

'How the hell…?' Rose stood up from the couch and stared at the scene in amazement. Shinji gazed on with dark eyes while Kensei's hand was twitching towards his zanpakto. Mashiro, well, being her, she was probably sleeping somewhere. As for Lisa, Love and Hachi, they were stoning at the scene, their jaws on the verge of unhinging and dropping to the floor.

'I'll show you another reason why you shouldn't attack me,' Kazane gave a small but slightly sadistic smile. She swiped a hand across her face and a butterfly-like mask with dark blue and black streaks formed on her face. Gasps were scattered across the room as they realized what it really was- a hollow mask.

'When did you…' Shinji managed to choke out. 'It's impossible. How could you have become one of us?'

'I just did,' Kazane replied softly. The Vizards were too shocked to notice the undistorted tone in her voice- all except Hachi. Kazane took off the mask and dissolved it. Leaving the Vizards staring in her wake, she walked off.

She was one of them, and yet, not part of them.

**On a roof, somewhere in Karakura Town…**

Kazane laid on the roof, letting a gush of nostalgia wash over her. She smiled at the memory of her, Byakuya and Yoruichi sitting on the roof of one of their mansions and learning the names and positions of the different constellations in the dark sky. The memory was suddenly interrupted by the scene that she had witnessed just a few minutes ago. She chuckled and rolled over to her side.

'Hiroshi-kun,' a deep voice travelled over to Kazane's side. Kazane stopped her chuckling and turned over, noting the large and fat shadow cast over her. She raised her eyebrows when she saw who it was.

'Hachigen-san, how nice it is to see you again,' Kazane smirked and sat up. Hachi sat heavily on the tiles beside her, careful to displace his weight so that the family under him wouldn't be faced with an unfortunate casualty. Kazane laid back down and rested her head on her hands. She closed her eyes and breathed in the cool air.

'It's a nice view here,' Hachi commented.

Kazane peeked out from under her eyelids and nodded. 'It's so rare to see such a nice view and breathe in such cool air, especially in the dead of the summer. Karakura Town is such a pleasant place to live in, wouldn't you agree?'

Hachi gave a nod. He looked at the girl and took on a more serious voice, 'That wasn't a very nice thing to do, Hiroshi-kun.'

'It's Kurosaki Kazane now, Hachigen-san,' Kazane poked the older man's fat playfully. 'Just Kazane is fine.'

Hachi nodded again. 'How long were you a Vizard, Kazane-san?'

'A long time,' Kazane whispered sadly. 'Right after you people were exiled, I was arrested for having taken part in the Hollowfication experiment. I became a Vizard right after the verdict of my exile was passed down.'

'Why didn't you join us?'

'Would you have let me join you?' Kazane mused.

Hachi nodded. 'If we had experienced your powers then we would have gladly opened our doors to you.'

'Ah… but the last time I remembered encountering you all, you ran like frightened rabbits,' Kazane pointed out. She hooked out the piece of memory from her head.

_Flashback…_

'_It's Yuki Uta-sama! Her amazing voice is stunning the nation like no other singer has ever done before!' The MC yelled out jubilantly as Kazane, dressed up as her new persona- Yuki Uta-, twirled up the stage. She gave a wave and the crowd screamed._

'_Hey minna!' Kazane blew them a kiss. She then picked up the mike and the lights dimmed._

"_Do you remember the halcyon days_

_We spent under the midnight black sky._

_Do you remember the times_

_When no rivalry, no pain, no knowledge _

_Was ever existent?"_

_Kazane reached a hand out to the audience, her face reflecting the painful memories from her past._

"_What did I ever do wrong_

_To turn this table of chess around?_

_What wrong step did I make_

_To fall into this valley of hate?_

_I'm innocent…"_

_She danced around the stage. Her loose dress bellowed behind her, giving her an angelic look._

"_Is it wrong, is it a sin_

_To just be stepping on_

_The very earth you once sauntered on?_

_Is it wrong, is it a sin_

_To be breathing_

_The same air you once took in?_

_The world is against me_

_I'm a distorted being_

_I'm innocent…"_

_What did she do to deserve this? Her parents' death, her fiancée, her brother… were they even her fault? _

"_Do you remember those stares_

_I was given when I was a princess?_

_Do you remember those stares_

_When I had fallen from grace?"_

_She remembered those looks she was given all her life and not all were of admiration._

"_What did I do_

_To make you turn your white-cloaked backs on me?_

_What did I ever do_

_To be stowed away in the corner_

_Insignificance_

_I'm innocent…"_

_No one reached out a hand to her in her time of need while she was in Gotei 13. She was mostly shunned by her division members until she became the 4__th__ seat._

"_Is it wrong, is it a sin_

_To just be stepping on_

_The very earth you once sauntered on?_

_Is it wrong, is it a sin_

_To be breathing_

_The same air you once took in?_

_The world is against me_

_I'm a distorted being_

_I'm innocent…"_

"_I'm the same_

_Why didn't you accept me?_

_My heart's been slashed_

_By your ruthless swords"_

"_Is it wrong, is it a sin_

_To just be stepping on_

_The very earth you once sauntered on?_

_Is it wrong, is it a sin_

_To be breathing_

_The same air you once took in?_

_The world is against me_

_I'm a distorted being_

_I'm innocent…"_

_**(Please note, I wrote this song on the spot!!! Don't go after me for the actual song cuz it (hopefully, and most probably) doesn't exist, ok?)**_

_The crowd gave a deafening applause as the music softened till it couldn't be heard anymore. Kazane bowed and said to the audience, 'That's my first song, __**Innocent**__, and it'll be released soon. I hope you enjoyed that!' Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the small group of 8 standing in the crowd. She recognized them easily and let a tiny bit of reiatsu spill out. She smirked in her mind when the group sensed the reiatsu. In the crowd, it was nearly impossible to locate where the reiatsu came from and even if they could (which was highly impossible… 0.000001% possibility) they couldn't lift a finger. She was just waiting to see their response. And their response surprised her._

_They fled out of the crowd._

_Kazane frowned in her heart but threw the thought into the back of her head as she got ready to sing her next song._

"_My life is hanging on a thread_

_My soul has been soiled_

_Where are you, where have you been_

_My sakura lover?"_

_End of Flashback_

Hachi bowed his head. 'So Yuki Uta was indeed you. I thought I recognized that pair of violet eyes.'

'You were always the unusually observant and perspective one out of all the Vizards,' Kazane mumbled.

'You're flattering me, Kazane-san. I have another question for you, Kazane-san.'

'Fire away,' Kazane smiled.

'Why are you so covered up?' Kazane froze at the question.

'Ahaha… why not?' Kazane gave a nervous laugh.

'It's summer, Kazane-san. Normal people don't walk outdoors with full-length sleeves and cloth on every part of their body. You're hiding something, Kazane-san, and I want to know what that is,' Hachi said gravely, his small and beady eyes piercing into Kazane's.

She gave a short laugh, 'You know, there're times when being too perspective and observant is a bad thing. You really shouldn't be probing into this.'

Hachi gave her a stern look. (I wonder if Hachi is capable of glaring.)

Kazane turned serious. 'But if you really want to, there's no harm in showing you.' She rolled up her sleeves to reveal the bandaged arms. With a swift motion, she loosened the bandages and they pooled at the base of her hand, revealing the black wounds. There was a sharp intake of breathe.

'What happened?' Hachi fingered one particularly long wound with a pudgy finger. Kazane hissed and Hachi removed the finger immediately.

'Kurohitsugi,' Kazane told him simply. Hachi frowned.

'But that hasn't been used against fellow souls except for hollows for over 300 years. Who- no, wait, I think I know who,' Hachi sighed and shook his head.

Kazane chuckled, 'Aizen was never the type to follow rules, despite how innocent his exterior looks. I'm just amazed he was able to pull this off without an incantation.'

'May I?' Hachi gestured towards her hands.

'Heal it? Sure, but it's my whole body so if you think you can heal something that the 4th Division can't manage, by all means, please do,' Kazane extended her arm to him. Hachi furrowed his brows and an orange shield appeared over her whole body. Black reiatsu started to drain out of the wounds as each wound seemed to dissolve into air with each passing second. They sat on the roof, staring at the process for nearly 10 minutes, when all traces of the wounds were gone and the orange shield dropped.

Hachi panted slightly. Kazane looked at him with a worried expression. 'Are you okay? That must have taken a lot out of you.'

'It took longer than I had expected but I'm okay,' Hachi said through pants.

Kazane looked at her arms and fingered her unblemished skin. 'It's amazing. Your ability is somewhat like Orihime-chan's Shun Shun Rikka. Were you rejecting the wounds?'

Hachi smiled, 'I have yet to find out what my ability exactly is. Who is this Orihime you were talking about?'

Kazane grinned, 'You'll find out when you see her.'

A stroke of light flashed through the sky and struck down on an area on the eastern side of the town. A strong reiatsu ran through the town like a tsunami and both on the roof detected what it was instantly.

'Arrancar,' they murmured in unison. The next second, Kazane had flash-stepped away.

Hchi suddenly remembered something. 'Ah… I forgot to ask her which division she was the captain of…'

**Afternoon… At the crater that had mysteriously formed in the middle of the clearing… (Let's fast forward to when Ichigo starts getting trashed… *Sadistic laugh*)**

Ichigo was kneeling on the floor, dazed from the hits he was getting and the effort of restraining his hollow. Yami smirked and raised his hand to deal the finishing blow. Just as the hand was about to reach Ichigo, a figure jumped in to block the blow. There was a small explosion of dust and when it cleared, Kazane was seen cradling Ichigo in one arm and blocking Yami's hand with her other. Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows from where he was standing but made no motion to help his comrade.

'Hey, you blocked my hand with your own bare hands…' Yami said.

'Duh, isn't it obvious?' Kazane rolled her eyes. She glanced at Ichigo and took in his injuries. 'You did this? Well, I suppose I can take a leaf out of his book and return the damage to you… three times over.'

'What, you arrogant chick-!' Yami withdrew his hand and glared at her.

'Ah, being called a chick twice in a day… I must be getting more attractive,' Kazane said in a light-hearted tone that didn't reach the rest of her body. She stood up and wiped off the blood on her white blouse. 'I'll make you bleed three times the amount you made him.'

'You-' Yami's statement was cut short by a flying kick from the girl. It collided with Yami's temple and sent him flying off in the opposite direction.

'Pay attention to the enemy, you air head,' Kazane was tying her hair up with a white piece of cloth. 'If you underestimate me, you'll surely meet your demise.'

'Ulquiorra, is she trash?' Yami yelled out as he got up slowly.

'Isn't it obvious?' Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. 'To throw you off with one single kick and block your blow with one hand, do you seriously think she's trash?'

'That's good,' Yami growled and wiped a trail of blood from the side of his mouth. 'I can finally have a decent fight!'

Kazane remained silent as she watched both Arrancars with cold eyes. Yami took out his zanpakto and waved it in the air. Her eyes quickly took in the big zanpakto and she commented, 'You're sure you need something like that to fight me?' She lifted her left arm to shoulder height and a blue jewel formed in her palm. 'No matter, I'll defeat you using this.'

Yami snorted, 'What can a small useless thing like that do-' The jewel had flown from Kazane's palm to Yami's head, cutting the very same temple she had kicked. A trickle of blood ran down his cheek and in seconds, the blood froze to leave a red trail of ice.

'I told you, if you underestimate me, you'll meet your demise. The next one will not be for the head, but for the heart,' Kazane lifted both hands and numerous blue jewels formed around her. They shot off the instant they grew to the size of a marble, and all of them were aimed for Yami's upper torso.

'Damn you!' Yami whipped his zanpakto through the air and smashed the incoming jewels into bits. Even then they did not stop and they lodged themselves deep into his chest. Ice began to form on the wounds.

'Have you had enough? Too bad, because I have no intention of stopping just yet,' Kazane jumped into the air, firing a few bigger jewels at his neck. Blood spurted out from the wounds and the next second, they turned to ice. Slowly, the ice began to travel across his body.

'Cero.'

A red blast was shot from Ulquiorra and Kazane turned around just in time to see it fly towards her… Or perhaps not.

'Sorry for being late…' came a sing-song voice. Kazane found herself in Yoruichi's arms and saw Urahara with his zanpakto out.

Kazane twitched and whacked the back of Urahara's head. 'If you wanted to come, you might as well have made it her on time!'

Urahara pouted and said in a hurt voice, 'That's no way to treat your savior.'

'I could have handled it myself!' Kazane spat out, being unusually malicious to him. Yoruichi held her back to prevent her from lashing out at the said man.

'Now, now, we both know that that Cero took you off guard and there's no way you could counter that in time unless you used _that_,' Urahara patted her head while she scowled. 'Yoruichi, Kaza-chan, go heal Inoue-san and Kurosaki-kun.' They (Sorry, Kazane only) grudgingly went back to the ground and Kazane went over to Ichigo while Yoruichi attended to Orihime.

Kazane walked over to Ichigo, glaring at the still conscious boy. 'You really over did it this time. No way am I giving you the easy way out of this.'

'You aren't… what…?' Ichigo looked slightly confused.

'Never mind…' Kazane looked slightly pissed off and knelt down beside Ichigo. She raised his upper body and rested it on her lap.

Ichigo spluttered weakly, 'What the hell?'

'Relax, Ichigo. Take time to calm your mind. What's more important now isn't about your injuries, but about controlling that hollow,' Kazane stroked his head in a relaxing manner. Ichigo calmed down slightly, his breathing slowed and the dark shadow in his eyes slowly fading away.

'How…' Ichigo gasped.

'You're calming down, aren't you?' Kazane asked gently. Ichigo nodded in response. Kazane gave him a small smile, 'That's good then.'

'I hate to say it but… you're good at this,' Ichigo said reluctantly.

Kazane smiled, 'Of course, I did this to Byakuya many times in the past when he got too worked up.'

'Byakuya?' Ichigo yelped and made to sit up but was pushed down by Kazane (using only one finger, by the way). Kazane glared at him and Ichigo cowered.

'It's hard to believe, isn't it?' Kazane said softly and continued to caress his hair. 'Your hot-temper really reminds me of when he was young…'

Ichigo remained silent while she stroked his hair. After a while, he spoke up, 'My hollow is under control. You can stop now.' Kazane stopped stroking his hair and helped him sit up. Just as she was about to hand him some pills, there was a massive explosion and they both turned around in time to see Urahara panting slightly, obviously under attack by the black-haired Arrancar.

'Sit here for a bit. I have something I want to give to Aizen,' Kazane got up and left him sitting there. Ichigo struggled futilely to stand up and follow her.

'Kazane, wait!' Ichigo called out but Kazane didn't even spare him a glance.

'Ulquiorra, is it?' Kazane walked over to where Urahara and the two Arrancar were and joined Urahara's side.

'What is it, woman?' Uquiorra said coldly, his finger poised to open the portal back to Hueco Mundo.

Kazane smiled softly, 'If possible, I'd like you to give something back to Aizen for me. Could I trust you to do it?'

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows. 'Me? You must be senile, why would someone entrust something to their enemy?'

'I believe that you will give it to Aizen, no?' Kazane raised her eyebrows, mimicking Ulquiorra. Without waiting for a reply, she raised two fingers and a red Cero blasted off from the tip. It flew past Ulquiorra, missing him by a hair and crashed into the trees, completely obliterating them. Ulquiorra stood there in shock, his face betraying his emotions.

'I… will try to pass that on,' Ulquiorra said stiffly and opened the Garganta, walking into it with Yami in tow. The Garganta closed instantly the minute the last toe was out and the atmosphere relaxed… slightly.

'Whew! They're finally gone!' Kazane fanned herself with her hands and rolled up her sleeves.

'Kaza-chan… your arms…' Yoruichi noted the unmarked arms.

Kazane smiled and waved her arms at her, showing that they were healed completely. Urahara and Yoruichi stared at them suspiciously. Urahara came up to her, gently pulling her right arm to him and examining it from all angles.

'How… is this possible? That last time I saw you, they were obviously worsening. Did… someone heal them for you?' Urahara asked darkly.

'Well, it's not exactly healing… hm… It's more of a… well… reversal,' Kazane thought hard to find a suitable explanation for the sudden recovery. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and she collapsed to the ground.

'Kazane!' Yoruichi and Urahara yelled and hurried to her side. (Aw, they left the two injured ones by themselves…)

'I'm alright,' Kazane smiled weakly but the next second she started coughing up blood.

'Fine my foot!' Yoruichi smacked her on the back of her head. 'Just how much of the Ceros did you absorb? Don't try to downplay anything! Both Urahara and I know that you absorbed back some of the energy from the original Cero you were intending to fire!'

'Well…' Kazane shrunk under the glares sent by the dark-skinned woman. 'Around… 50%'

'Around?' Yoruichi's glare was spine chilling.

'Okay, okay, I took back 57%!' Kazane yelled in exasperation. The two adults' expression changed immediately.

'What the heck, 57%? You were trying to kill yourself or what?' Yoruichi slapped her but regretted it instantly when Kazane started coughing heavily. Urahara helped support her back while Kazane coughed into her hand.

'Kazane… you do realize that that could have killed you, didn't you?' Urahara asked gravely.

'I know… but to let the town be destroyed because of a Cero… I just didn't want that to happen…' Kazane told them with her head bowed.

'You idiot!' Yoruichi screamed. 'You do realize that you're the only with the chance of surprising Aizen in the War and yet you flaunted your abilities so easily? What the hell were you thinking?'

'I'm sorry,' Kazane mumbled. 'That was rash, I know. But I just couldn't…'

Urahara and Yoruichi sighed in defeat. You could never get angry at her when she was making such an expression.

**At Urahara Shoten…**

Kazane sat alone in her makeshift room, trying to down the pills Urahara made her take for the internal injuries she suffered from the Cero. (FYI, the pills were quite big…)

'Kaza-nee-chan?' Ururu popped her head in and searched for the blond.

'Yes, Ururu-chan?' Kazane turned her head to the girl, gesturing for her to come in.

'Urahara-san asked me to make sure you eat all the pills,' Ururu mumbled shyly.

'Ah…' Kazane stared at the pills. Most of them were roughly the size of half her palm. 'I'm afraid that's not quite possible for me at the moment… They're… a bit too big for me to swallow.'

Ururu took out her big cannon and pointed it at Kazane. 'I was told to make sure you eat all the pills, without fail, even if it means forcing it down your throat.'

Kazane laughed nervously, 'Hey isn't that a bit too rash and dangerous?'

Ururu prepared to shoot.

'Aieeee!' Kazane ran out of the room as the huge blast flew out of the cannon.

**Outside the room where Orihime was receiving treatment…**

Kazane panted, searching for Ururu's reiatsu. She wasn't sure when she would break out of the Sai she placed on her. A quick check confirmed that Ururu was still frozen in her room, unable to move a hair. 'Really, I thought she was about to kill me.'

'Kazane?'

Kazane turned to the direction of the voice and found Urahara standing beside the door, arms crossed and hat pulled down. She took a few cautious steps back.

'Ah… I suppose Ururu went overboard,' Urahara laughed and pushed his bucket hat down. 'Maybe I should think about making the pills a more reasonable size… those were a bit too big, weren't they? I had to get Ururu to make sure you took them all…'

'Urahara-san, you're ranting,' Kazane told him gently. Urahara shut his mouth instantly. Kazane casted him a glance. 'Urahara-san, is there something you want to tell me?'

'Get Ichigo to…'

'See Shinji? Sure, I was planning to do so anyways.' Kazane eyed him warily. 'Is there something else? Like why were the pills so insanely big?'

Urahara laughed nervously, 'I knew you'd ask that… I really don't have a reasonable explanation… but surely you knew what all but one was for, right?'

'Reiastu suppressors…'

'That's right… I was worried. With all that raw power in you, I was afraid that something like what just happened would repeat itself. I was a coward… to not believe that you would find a way to release the reiatsu yourself.' Urahara bowed his head. 'Those pills may not have helped anyways. Suppressing all that reiatsu inside you… who knows what may happen. I didn't know what I was thinking when I handed you those pills! They could have killed you. But… it may just be that… I'm a helpless coward. I gave those pills to reassure myself that they would help you. I-'

Kazane silenced him with a hug. Urahara stopped in mid-sentence, shocked by her sudden action.

'It's alright, it's alright. You did your best. There was nothing else you could have done,' Kazane reassured him gently, whispering the words into his ear while stroking his back. 'There isn't any safe method anyways, well, not that we know of any. You did no wrong.'

Urahara stood in her arms silently, letting himself be washed away by her gentle words of comfort. His mouth cracked open to comment, 'You're really good at this, you know?'

'So I've been told,' Kazane chuckled.

**At night, in Ichigo's temporary residence in Urahara Shoten…**

There was a knock on the door. Ichigo looked up from the floor he had been staring into for the past hour, on the verge of dozing off, and shook himself awake. He yawned and walked over to the door slowly, pushing it open warily.

'You look like you're in a better state than I had imagined you'd be in,' Kazane stood at the door and observed him from head to toe. Ichigo rubbed his eyes tiredly and raised his eyebrows.

'What do you want?'

'I'll make this quick then,' she leaned against the door frame and gazed at him. 'I'll only say this once. Go to Shinji for help.'

'What?' Ichigo was more awake now. 'Hirako? But… he is…'

'A Vizard, and one of the best, no doubt. He has 100 years of experience in his hands and he knows how to solve that problem of yours better than Urahara can. He is the only one that can help you,' Kazane told him. 'They're willing to open their doors to you, to help you overcome your problem. Take that hand and solve it once and for all.'

'You can't tell me what to do-'

Kazane flashed her mask at him. Ichigo stopped halfway and stared at the mask in shock. 'I can't, can I? This mask took me nearly a decade to perfect by myself. You don't have a decade. The Winter War is in months and if you don't get your butts where Shinji is and master that power with the Vizard's help, I'll personally drag you over to him and MAKE you fight your hollow, whether you like it or not. You have until the day after you have full recovered to make your decision and MOVE before I come after you.'

And with that, she walked off and left Ichigo standing at the doorway.

**Gasp! I finally did it. I finally finished a 6K chapter! **

**I probably won't be able to update much, so please don't go pleading for me to update soon. I need to pull up my English and Literature marks (I failed ENGLISH! That's amazing!) so I'll be studying for the most part of my spare time. Still, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.**

**Don't forget. Read and Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**An update… finally… I don't want to dampen your spirits. Read on and enjoy!**

**Roof top of Karakura Hospital…**

Yawn. The sound came out of Kazane's mouth, strangely unsophisticated for someone like her. Kazane laid on the bench and stared up at the sunny sky. It was so peaceful that one would almost suspect that a Garganta would open up sometime soon and Arrancar would be flooding out. Calm before the storm… She snorted.

She raised the piece of paper in her hands. Today, she was donned in a light grey tank top and black slacks and a dark grey windbreaker was hanging loosely on her shoulders, unzipped. The paper, blank at first sight, was littered with words when the paper was shone by the sunlight, and Kazane found herself rereading the note Urahara had given her. No… not a note. An errand list. ' for fluctuations in rookie group's reiatsu… report if any… I'm assuming the "rookie group" is Ichigo and Co. 2. Recollect data on effect of my reiatsu on the city… to be submitted in a report. 3… ha… buy cat food? What the hell? Youruichi isn't a cat anymore! Why the hell does he need cat food?' Kazane scrunched up the paper, not bothering to read the rest of the list. She threw it to the floor and continued staring at the sky.

'You shouldn't litter. This is a hospital,' an irritable voice startled Kazane and she fell off the bench.

'Itai…' Kazane rubbed her back where she had landed on and looked up to see a middle-aged looking man with white hair. She squinted for a while before coming to a realization. 'Oh… you're Ishida-san's father, right?'

'Hn…' he kicked the scrap of paper behind him. He turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. Kazane remembered that she was still sitting on the floor and got up, embarrassed.

'So… I'll be going now…?' Kazane backed to the iron railing that lead to 20 stories free falling.

The older man glared at her and she sweated, laughing nervously. He raised a hand and held it out to her. 'Ishida Ryuken… Nice… to meet you.'

Kazane took the hand and shook it. 'Kurosaki Kazane. Nice to meet you too, Quincy-Papa-san.'

A tick formed on the elder Ishida's left eyebrow. 'Quincy-Papa? Excuse me, I may not be a shinigami but I'm older than you and I demand respect.'

'Eh… But I'm already 153! If that's not old, I wonder how old YOU actually are,' Kazane pouted and complained in a slightly whiney voice.

'153… I see, you must be a shinigami…' Ishida-elder rubbed the side of his temples and took out a cigarette. 'What business do you have in my hospital?'

'Nothing… it was just the tallest building in this town and I wanted some fresh air…' Kazane fingered the end of her hair and replied lightly. She leaned against the railing and stared up at the sky. 'What are you doing here?'

'Can't I be?'

'I didn't mean it that way.'

'…'

'So are you going back to work?'

'Why? It's lunch break.'

'Yes. It is the same for Quincy-Kiddo-chan as well.'

Ishida Ryuken raised his eyebrows at his son's new nickname. 'Why don't you just refer to us by our names?'

'But I don't get to call anyone else nicknames!' Kazane argued, folding her arms. 'Youruichi and Urahara-san are my superiors so I can't possibly call them something like that. Vizards are too weird; they all with the exception of Hiyori wouldn't even listen to me. Ichigo and Co. wouldn't produce suitable reactions… Well, you two are different!' Kazane smiled, a hint of sadness lingering in her tone. 'Quincys are really in a class of their own!'

'In what way am I different…' Ryuken's eyebrow twitched and his fingers were contracting slightly.

'Ahaha…' Kazane laughed, a carefree laugh that tinkered through the rooftop. 'Byakuya… He used to react the same way as you do now… but that's not the main point right now, right?'

'I don't even know why I'm meeting you…'

'Saa… me neither. I just… though it'd be nice to see you. The last of the true Quincy, Ishida Ryuken…' Kazane said with a slightly more serious expression. 'I want to know… who you'll support in the Winter War.'

'I support nobody. The Quincys live in a different class from the Shinigami,' Ryuken spat out.

'Vizards live in a different class from Shinigami. We do not support the Gotei 13 in this War. Should any of them die, I shall pay no attention to that. The survival of the shinigami is of no meaning to me,' Kazane stretched a hand out to him. 'So… why not join our cause? We, the ones that oppose Aizen yet do not wish to band together with the shinigami… we need not necessarily fight in the War, but at least we are certain of our allies.'

'Che. You're just asking me to reserve a ward for your little group,' Ryuken gave a small, short laugh. Kazane smiled softly.

'That would be great too… you might never know what will happen.'

'…Alright. This tiny alliance… I'll join it for now. But should there be a better option, I'll have no hesitation in leaving this alliance,' Ryuken took her hand and shook it firmly. Kazane smiled brightly.

'Don't worry. The coin shall not have more than 3 sides.'

Ryuken scoffed and turned away, leaving to go greet his son. Kazane leaned on the railing, the smile on her face replaced with an expressionless mask. She walked over to where the ball of paper was and picked it up, unscrunching it. She took out a pencil and made a small mark beside one of the points.

**X **5) Recruit the "Last Quincy"

**Back at Urahara Shoten…**

Kazane kicked open the door and stalked inside, one hand balancing a box of cat food on her shoulder. She dumped it on the floor and lifted the trap door with her foot before dropping inside. She caught sight of the blond shop owner as she fell, and the moment her foot touched the ground, she leaped off to kick the man on the head.

'Ouch!' Urahara cried and clutched his head. 'How mean, I was just admiring the wonderful scenery here. Are you done with the tasks I sent you to do?'

'What scenery…' Kazane mumbled under her breathe. 'Yeah, I did. All 25 friggin' tasks you sent me to do… though I didn't get why you had to write "Get cat food" 10 times.'

'It's of upmost importance!' Urahara proclaimed. Kazane kicked his shin and he moaned, hopping about on one foot.

'I'm in a bad mood today after doing all the errands you had me do. Can you just get I over with?' Kazane felt irritation bubbling within her. A cloud of loneliness suddenly hit her and she grimaced.

'What's wrong?'

Kazane smiled sadly. 'No… it's nothing. I just remembered… when I could still hear Haruka, she'd be chiding me about keeping the temperature inside constant.' Kazane pointed to her chest and chuckled, 'She was really fussy about the temperature. Too high and the snow would turn to mush. Too low and there'll be a blizzard. All the complaining prompted me to keep a stable train of emotions. Now that I think back, it was probably training to control my powers and emotions… or somewhat like that.'

Urahara sighed and pushed his bucket hat down his head. 'I found a few ways. Well, actually I thought of a few ways. You do understand that you're the first of your kind so I have no idea how to train you. Some of these methods… may not work and have adverse effects. If that happens, please tell me and we'll go on to the next.'

'I understand,' Kazane tied her hair securely in a bun and removed her windbreaker, tossing it unceremoniously onto a rock protruding from the ground somewhere near her. 'Whenever you're ready…'

**CRASH! **Kazane winced as a bolt of energy ran past her and destroyed the rocks behind her. She sighed and shook her head, 'I can tell what you want to do. It ain't gonna work. I have a good advantage at these sort of things and I'm well prepared. Forcing a transformation wouldn't work unless you keep me going on until I pass my limits, and that's going to take a few days. Even if you can outlast me, I wonder if you can survive any more after a do a forced-transformation.'

'Then… move on to plan B…' Urahara took out a small little orb from his pocket. It was identical to the Hougyoku, only much smaller. Kazane raised her eyebrows and her eyes trailed the ball.

'And what's that?'

'It's something like the Hougyoku… I saved some of the remaining substance that were ordered to be destroyed and morphed it until it was this shape,' Urahara held the ball out for her to see. 'Its properties are different from the Hougyoku. While the Hougyoku breaks down barriers, this little thing here reinforces the broken barrier, thus you'll be able to achieve a transformation instantly. Well, I don't know if it'll work but we'll try.'

'Fine by me. How're going to-' Kazane was cut off by a bolt of grey light shooting out from the ball and piercing through her chest. She scowled, 'Well, that was unexpected.' And then she dropped to the floor, jerking and squirming for some unknown reason that Urahara happened to have a faint idea of what it was.

**In Kazane's mind…**

'Urgh…' Kazane got up from the floor and examined her surroundings. It was the same snowy world, though not as similar as the world she once remembered. This time, she was standing on where three lines intersected. She was standing on a pure white portion, while the other two were black and blue. Her hand twitched when she realized what it was.

'Territory,' Came the drawling voice of her hollow side.

'That's right. Right now, we're all fighting for the possession of your mind. Now that the barrier has been broken apart, different parts of your soul had been trying to claim possession of your mind. It has been beaten back until only we three parties remain,' Fuyusuisei walked up to the intersecting points. Her robes were spattered with an unknown substance, which made Kazane shudder to think what it was. She looked down at herself and realized that she was covered in the same murky substance.

'In the end, we shall all fall under one ruler… we will have to battle for that position,' Kazane spoke the words that came to her.

'Yes. Consciously or subconsciously, we will forever be fighting until the last dot of territory has been claimed. Do you understand? The more time you spend in here, the larger chance you'll have of winning,' Shiro sneered out. 'Though you can't stay for long, can you?'

Kazane smiled wanly, 'Oh, I don't know about that. When the time comes for me to wake up, I'll wake up. But until then, I'll continue fighting.'

'So it begins then,' Fuyusuisei swept her hair back and folded her arms. 'Battling can only happen when the sky is clear. If there's a blizzard, all fights must cease. You may take a rest at that time and recuperate. Other than that, you may ambush anytime you want. You can gang up if you want to.'

'Ah, but wouldn't that be mean?' Kazane chuckled. Her eyes held a serious tone to them. 'So, the war begins…'

And the three ladies flashed off.

**In Urahara Shoten…**

Youruichi stared down at the jerking girl who was lying on the sandy floor. Her left eyebrow was contracting uncontrollably and she had to cross her arms to keep them from lashing out at someone. Taking a deep breath, she hollered out at the top of her voice, sending out every ounce of air from her lungs to the open, 'WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO, URAHARA?'

Urahara winced and hid behind his fan. 'I didn't know what would happen… I thought she'd undergo a transformation like what the Vizards achieved but it seems as though it isn't the case.'

'You idiot!' Yoruichi gave him a flying spinning kick. Urahara flew off the ground from the force of the impact and landed on the floor with a harsh thudding sound. Youruichi winced slightly, balancing on the other foot. She cursed slightly and walked over to Kazane with a limp.

'Mn…' Kazane cried out softly. She hugged herself tightly and curled herself into a ball. Looking at her with an affectionate gaze, Youruichi picked her up and set her down on a more comfortable and cleaner ground.

'Wake up soon, Kaza-chan. Wake up and let us know you're all okay…' Youruichi whispered out.

**Back into Kazane's mind…**

Standing in the middle of her territory, she closed her eyes and felt for the parts of her soul under her control. 59 parts in total, and that was quite good considering that she has no more than 150 separate parts including her, Fuyusuisei and Shiroi. She breathed out, 'Haruka…'

No response. She cursed under her breath. If Haruka was not here, she lost her fourth best part of her soul to one of the two. If it was Shiroi, she may still stand a chance. If it was Fuyusuisei, both she and Shiroi would fall under her grasp. It was slowly turning into a battle of luck and wits.

A wave of energy exploded from the western edge. Without a second's hesitation, she dashed off to the area of attack, forming ice daggers around her. The western side of her territory was under attack by Shiroi.

'Haha! You're losing, Kaza!' Shiroi crackled. She wielded the long scythe and swung it around madly. Taking a huge swipe, she cut through the snow and frost like butter and the ground exploded, showering bits and pieces of ice and snow into the air.

Kazane grimaced. 'How disgraceful. Even after all the time we spent together, you still use Haruka in such an unpleasant manner. And I thought… you would pose a problem to me…'

'What?' Shiroi stopped short of her attack.

Kazane gave her a wan smile. 'How predictable.' And she gained possession of Haruka in the next instant. Kazane chuckled, 'I knew you'd do that. You waver in the face of doubt… just like me. So, I knew, if I had you hesitate just for a moment, Haruka would be mine to dominate once more. You're so much like me that I can predict what's going to happen next.'

Shiroi clenched her teeth and called out her own share of ice daggers. In opposition to Kazane's white ones, hers were completely black.

'No use, Shiroi… you won't be able to pull the trigger…' Kazane whispered to the wind. She swiped the scythe across the air and shattered the daggers easily. Quite a large area of black turned into white, and Shiroi had no choice but to retreat.

'Damn, I'll get you the next time!' Shiroi called out and flash-stepped away.

Kazane flashed a short, sad smile. 'I knew you'd say that.'

'So you claimed a bit more of her territory,' A voice echoed from far away. Kazane turned around and saw Fuyusuisei, donning her blue kimono and her hair tied up in a bun. Smiling, she walked over to the border which separated the two and nodded at her zanpakto spirit.

'How different it is, for us to be fighting against each other like this,' Kazane commented with a shrug. 'We were so close before, siblings in one body. I wonder… why must we fight like this… and what will be the outcome and result in the end…'

'We weren't close before. No… a zanpakto, a hollow, and the original can never be as close as we are right now. What happened before, those feelings of closeness and intimacy… were a web to cover up the large gap between the soul,' Fuyusuisei shook her head and sighed. 'I only realized this after it started happening. We were all fighting for possession. It's natural. The original does not reign fully over the rest of the soul. The obedience was only because of the web that prevented other parts from interfering. We want to be free, Kazane.'

'Yes, anyone would want that…' Kazane breathed out in response. 'I realized it too. While we had a relationship like before, only words could be exchanged. While we could see each other and hear each other's voice and speech, we didn't understand. But now… your thoughts and past come haunting me in my dreams. I have a feeling in my hands… the hands that you used to kill Senbonzakura. We share a consciousness now. But why… must we fight now?'

Fuyusuisei shook her head, a small smiled gracing her lips. 'You'll find out soon… the more time you spend here, the more you'll understand. I guess… that's the reason… but you should figure it out by yourself, even so… I just gave you the answer and yet I'm asking you to think it through…'

'You're rambling, Fuyu,' Kazane balanced her scythe on her shoulders.

Fuyusuisei glanced at it briefly. 'Ah… Haruka, is it? She's one of my off-springs, didn't you know?'

'Fuyusuisei isn't a vir-' Kazane gasped out, cut off by Fuyusuisei covering her mouth with her cold, pale hands. They glared at each other comically.

'That's not what I meant. Haruka is a fragment of a soul spawned off me. We are two different forms, but I bet you knew that already,' Fuyusuisei withdrew her hand, blushing slightly.

'Ah…' Kazane nodded knowingly.

'So, just so that you know, you can't raise Haruka against me,' Fuyusuisei concluded in a tone that seemed to decide on the outcome of the entire situation.

'Oh… but I will still win anyways,' Kazane gave her a thumbs-up and walked away.

Fuyusuisei stared at her and called out, 'What do you mean by that? It's impossible. You can't win without a weapon strong enough to withstand both you and me. Haruka is your only option. You can't possibly win this. No, not without Haruka or Shiroi. And Shiroi would simply blend into you the moment you dominate her. It'll be a one-on-one.'

Kazane turned around and smiled the most cheerful smiled she ever showed in the time she was in this dimension. Grinning, she said, 'There are certain things… that can be won without using weapons or force, just like there are some weapons that can win without using violence.'

She flashed away, probably off to sleep or play chess using ice pieces formed from the snow.

**Urahara Shoten… once more…**

Youruichi picked the rice in her bowl moodily as she and Urahara sat at the table, trying to consume some dinner. Urahara left his bowl untouched, and instead stoned in his seat with his head resting on his palm. There was complete silence in the room.

'Hey! Getai Boshi!' Someone kicked open the door and it flew and crashed at the opposite wall, narrowly missing Urahara's head. Both adults looked up and glared at the red-head that intruded on their "quiet time". The dark haired Ichiru sighed and dipped his head in apology.

'Yes, Abarai Renji?' Urahara took out his fan and fanned himself –a trademark move whenever he was dealing with customers.

Renji blinked and rubbed the back of his head. 'Uh… can I stay here? I… uh… just came here to do a mission with the others. Oh, and Hiroshi needs a place to stay too.'

Urahara raised his eyebrows. 'But surely you can stay at Soul Society?'

'It's too much of a hassle to travel to and fro. Plus I have to be on guard at all times so I won't be able to do anything if an Arrancar attacks while I'm in Seireitei,' Renji explained, taking great effort to phrase it nicely and convincingly. Sweat dripped off his forehead from the tension in the room as well as the effort in speaking politely. Ichiru shook his head and stepped up.

'I'll be willing to pay for all the expenses. If it's too much of a trouble to house us, please do say so,' Ichiru bowed.

'Ah, there we have a role model of one who wishes to seek residence in a shop keeper's residence… Very well!' Urahara got up and led Ichiru and Renji to the unoccupied room. Renji stared at Ichiru and his mouth dropped open. In his mind, an unknown score board was displaying: "**Charisma! 10/10!**"

Breaking out of his gawking, Renji glanced around and commented, 'Hey, it's a pretty nice one. Who stayed here?'

'Kurosaki Kazane.'

'Oh… eh… EH?' Renji exclaimed. His eyes darted to the closet.

Ichiru whacked him on the head.

Urahara rolled his eyes at the boy's naiveté.

Renji spluttered and pointed to the drawers at the side of the closet. 'There aren't any… woman's stuff in there, are… there?'

'Like this?' Urahara raised a box. Renji read the words and blood spurted out of his nose. Urahara smirked and threw the empty box at him, which bounced off his head. Laughing, he said, 'Remember that I run a convenience store as well. Why else would you expect me to have such things? And yes, Kazane does keep her stuff in here, though it's in the bag inside the closet. It'll be in your best interest to keep your hands off it.'

Ichiru asked, 'Where's the Kazane gone?'

'She's… indisposed at the moment,' Urahara shrugged and walked off.

**At the abandoned warehouse…**

'Hachi, where did you go after the Kazane-chick left?' Lisa asked absentmindedly while turning a page of her erotic manga.

Hachi didn't move or respond to her, opting to sit quietly on the couch he had been sitting on for the entire day. Hiyori twitched and whacked the back of his small head, screaming, 'Answer, you damn idiot!'

'I was under the impression that only Lisa was interested,' Hachi gestured to the rest of the room. The occupants, who were secretly eyeing the conversation (had it been one?), gulped and turned back to what they were doing. Hiyori scowled and stomped away.

'So what were you doing?' Shinji came around and laid a hand on his shoulder.

'…Nothing much. I just wanted to see what was going on outside the barrier…' Hachi replied nonchalantly. The undisputed leader of the Vizards raised an eyebrow and stared at him with a steel gaze.

'Perhaps you'd like to tell me… in privacy?' Shinji offered, shoving his cap back onto his head.

'Perhaps,' Hachi agreed, getting up and following Shinji out of the barrier, temporarily casting a two-way barrier on the warehouse as he went out. They walked for quite a distance, ensuring that they were well out of the ear-shot of others, before stopping and turing to look at each other.

'Well…?' Shinji pointed to Hachi, indicating for him to start spilling the beans.

'That's a rhetorical question. You knew who I was with,' Hachi replied.

Shinji sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. 'I figured as much. What I want to know was what you were doing with her.'

'…Nothing much,' Hachi admitted. 'I did talk to her a bit, and I found out that she was the Yuki Uta Love and Rose were so crazy about.'

'What? She was the Yuki-singer gal? I never knew…' Shinji rubbed the back of his head. 'I suppose then the lyrics of her songs made sense, huh?'

'_White clothed backs… Slashed by your swords… _Honestly, I wonder why I never made to confirm it sooner,' Hachi sighed. He looked at Shinji, who was brooding. 'So… how about you? Did you manage to talk to her privately too?'

Shinji spluttered and looked up with shocked eyes. 'How did you know?'

'How else would you have brought her here by yourself?'

'Ah… you caught me there…' Shinji sighed. 'We had a talk. I demanded to know what happened in Soul Society and she told me. Well… a lot of things happened. I also… found out some things I never wanted to.'

Hachi didn't prod. He didn't feel the need to. They remained in silence for a while. After a painfully long silence, Hachi spoke up, 'Did you notice Kazane's injuries?'

'Injuries? What injuries?' Shinji turned to look at him, slouching.

'She was severely injured. Aizen did a Kurohitsugi on her,' Hachi informed him. Shinji's mouth formed a little "o" at the new knowledge. Hachi continued, 'I healed her, of course. I just thought you might want to know. She seems important to you, anyways.'

'What?' Shinji coughed and thumped Hachi on his fleshy back hardly. 'That chick?'

'…Again, why would you bring her to the warehouse personally. You could have just blasted your reiastu or asked me to lower the barrier slightly until she found us, which I doubt would take very long…'

'Ah…'

'…'

'…'

'Do you think we should stop?'

'Ah…'

**Into Kazane's mind… once more…**

Shiroi gasped and bent over. She was bleeding on her stomach, where Kazane had previously struck with Haruka. A bit more of her area flew over to the white side, and she was currently the one losing the most. Fuyusuisei hardly touched anyone, and thus lost nor gain none. Kazane responded happily to Shiroi's attacks, each time resulting with her as the victor.

'Are you done yet?' Kazane pointed Haruka at her face. Shiroi gritted her teeth and growled.

'Like hell I am!' She got up and assumed a fighting position. Murky substance dripped from her stomach to the dark snowy floor, though the stain barely visible in the dark background. She looked wobbly on her feet, and it was evident that she wouldn't last long.

'You should stop. Before I destroy you completely…' Kazane suggested lightly.

'No way!' Shiroi screamed. 'I'll never give up! Even to the last breathe, I won't submit!'

Kazane sighed, 'I thought you would do that. Either way, I shall beat you back then.'

Shiroi screeched and lunged forward with a Cero prepared. Eye widening, Kazane jumped back in avoid the destructive beam of energy that could have blown off a chunk of her body should it touch her. Shiroi, sensing that the Cero could possibly be her last chance at winning, began firing them non-stop. Frantically dodging all the Ceros, Kazane didn't have a moment's breathe to come up with a counter attack. She was being forced back, bit by bit. The smirk on Shiroi's face only grew wider.

'Stop, Shiroi…' Kazane called out warningly.

'What? Does that mean that you concede?' Shiroi taunted while maintaining the barrage of attacks.

'No… I'm saying this for you own good.' Kazane pointed to the grounds. Shiroi whirled around to see that a portion of her area was slowly seeping away into Kazane's territory.

'What's going on? Why? I should be the one that's winning! Why is she the one gaining territory?' Shiroi cried out angrily. She screamed in frustration and dropped to her knees. 'This god damn doesn't make any freaking sense!'

'What the battle is looking for… is the best leader. The preliminary stage is over. The best fighters to protect this body have been narrowed down to three. But right now… it's not just about strength,' Kazane informed her solemnly. Fuyusuisei came to the edge of her boundaries and watched on at the scene. Kazane lowered her weapon and knelt down beside Shiroi, taking her into her arms. Whispering into her ear so that only they two knew what she was saying, Kazane said, 'What I want… is not dominance, but partnership. Will you be willing to let me join forces with you?'

Shiroi leaned into her chest and pouted. 'It's the same.'

'Huh?'

'When we first fought… you said the same thing. I can't believe… I've forgotten all about it already,' Shiroi mumbled, clutching to Kazane's arms. She looked up briefly, meeting her eyes. 'How did you find out?'

'When I fought you. I knew from the pattern where territory was given and taken. They all have feelings and a mind too, you know,' Kazane smiled- a small, barely noticeable smile. 'Just like you and me, if they cannot win, at least they want to go to someone they know, trust and understand. You didn't understand them enough, so they felt that they could not stay with you for fear of being eliminated. As for me, I analysed your fighting skills and reactions to the last action. I understand you from head to toe, because you are in a sense, my twin that learnt everything through me. Did you think that you could defeat me with such simple attacks? I did not even teach you the deeper arts of Mugetsu, and you're already using it recklessly.'

'Mugetsu… So long… no one to show to…' Shiroi mumbled. She closed her eyes. 'I'm tired. Let me rest…'

'Sleep well,' Kazane whispered. Shiroi dropped unconscious. In a few seconds, the black territory was entirely white. Shiroi had disappeared.

There was a clapping sound. Kazane stood up and turned around to face Fuyusuisei who had a small smirk on her face. Kazane returned the smirk, picking up Haruka and getting into a simple and steady stance. She didn't move at all. Neither did Fuyusuisei.

'Show down time.'

**I'm mostly disappointed in myself because I didn't update in more than a month. Well, my only reason was me being in a constant state of exhaustion, having to juggle several projects –all that would affect my final year-end grade. It seems as though I won't be able to update soon again, as I have another two major projects due in September (hey, that may be long but the project needs a lot of work!) and now that my school deems the H1N1 condition to be somewhat under control, club activities will be going on at full blast, especially for me. I'll be training 5 times a week (OMG, I feel like crying just from thinking of it) and I know that it'll be super intense so I may not have the energy to open a new window and work on the next chapter. Terrible sorry to all those that are waiting for an update. I'm trying to keep my chapters between 4K to 6K, so it won't be very long to make up for the late update, but I'll put in my best effort for the upcoming chapters. Until then!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Ok, this chapter took long. Don't go pelting tomatoes at me before you read and review! Thank you!**

**Winter Serenade Chapter 20 (Yay! 20 chapters!)**

**Warehouse in Karakura…**

CREAK. Ichigo winced as the door gave a loud shriek as it was being pushed open. He slipped in and turned to look at the Vizards who were apparently waiting for him.

'So you finally came, Ichigo,' Shinji smirked from his position. All the Vizards positioned themselves in the warehouse, with Shinji being at the top middle position. Ichigo looked up and gave every person in the room a look-over.

'Hirako,' Ichigo finally acknowledged. 'I heard from… someone… that you're good at beating the crap of your inner hollows.'

'Aye, that would be correct,' Shinji grinned. 'Would you like to join us?'

'Hell no.' Ichigo's blunt reply raised eyebrows. Shinji pulled his hat down to cover his eyes and suppressed a smirk.

'I expected so…'

'I'm just using you all to get this thing under control. Don't think I'll join you all just because you helped me out with this thing,' Ichigo declared and folded his arms. Hiyori kicked her foot up and caught her sandal with her hand, ready to lash it at someone. Lisa turned back to her manga and paid no more attention to the orange-haired teen. Mashiro, who wasn't paying much attention to it anyways, played with a Gameboy she had gotten from god-knows-where. The rest… being the rest… just sat there and didn't do anything except scowl and stared off into space.

CREAK. The door to the warehouse opened noisily again and someone else stepped in. All eyes turned to the newcomer. The long black hair male was nearly mistaken for a female.

'Good afternoon, Vizards,' Hiroshi Ichiru greeted politely. He was in a gigai, donning a pair of black skinny jeans and a light blue shirt with black leather shoes and a pair of sunglasses. In his hands was his zanpakto, how he managed to get it here without being seen and apprehended by the police was unknown, and a cloth bag containing some unknown things slung over his shoulder.

Shinji raised his hat and peered at the man. 'Eh… I remember you… you're… uh…'

'I'm afraid I only joined the Gotei 13 after you were exiled, Hirako Shinji, therefore you do not know me,' Ichiru bowed. 'I think you'd be more familiar with my mistress…? Hirako Kazane…?'

'I know you! You were that guy who followed the little princes wherever she went.' Shinji slapped his forehead. He was greeted by the vision of his younger self glaring at the procession when the princess of the Hirako clan was driving past the streets of Seireitei.

Ichiru merely smiled. He threw his bag over to Shinji, who caught it swiftly. Shinji examined the bag closely and his fingers passed over the seal of the Hirako clan sewn onto the bag. Raising his eyebrows, he looked at Ichiru questioningly.

'My mistress instructed me to pass you the contents inside the bag when I come to the Human World,' Ichiru said, tapping his temple.

'Can I open it?' Shinji waved the bag around.

'Be careful with it, please. Kazane will have my head if anything gets damaged,' Ichiru paled slightly. 'And yes, you can open it.'

Shinji stared at the leather strings at the mouth of the bag. It looked like a thick knot and seemed impossible to unravel. He raised an eyebrow. 'This…?'

'Should be familiar and easy to a respected member of the Hirako Clan,' Ichiru finished.

'…I don't remember doing anything like this…' Shinji pronounced with a dead-panned look. The Vizards around him sighed, knowing his habit of forgetting anything that he didn't like or deemed unimportant in his eyes.

Ichiru looked surprised, but he recollected his emotions on his face quickly and replaced it with a stoic mask. He shrugged, 'Then I guess you'll have to thread your way carefully around that bag. One wrong tug and you'll never get it open.'

'Thread?' Shinji squinted and scratched his head. 'Uh… I think I remember now… What… was it again? It was Four… something… …?'

'Four Loyalties Knot,' Ichiru provided with a sigh. 'Every member of the Hirako Clan receives training the moment he or she is able to comprehend the information and this knot is one of the first things they learn, including noble etiquette and basic defense skills.'

'You know a lot… but this knot looks shabby. I take it that you did it yourself?' Shinji undid the knot with four different pulls on different strings. The strings came loose at once and it was revealed to be one very long cord.

'Yes…' Ichiru confessed with a slight blush. 'I learnt it while watching her tie it on a few occasions.'

Shinji didn't bother continuing the conversation. He gestured for Hiyori to take Ichigo away, who protested quite viciously though was slightly glad that he wasn't being ignored anymore, and waved for Ichiru to follow him into his room. Ichiru followed and shoved his hands into his pockets.

'Hiyori, you know what to do,' Shinji said over his shoulder.

'Of course I do, you dumbass!' Hiyori yelled at him. 'Don't take me for a child!'

'Of course I do. After all, I'm going to be doing a very grown-up thing right now,' Shinji muttered to himself, not caring if anyone heard or not. He kicked open the door to his room, let Ichiru in, and then slammed the door with one hand.

'Hardly appropriate for someone with your status,' Ichiru commented snidely.

'To hell with etiquette. What's in the bag?' Shinji asked rhetorically as he poured the contents onto the bed. Out from the bag came a few books, a sword, a file and a small, compact laptop. He picked up the laptop and stared at it. 'What the hell is this thingie here?'

'That's Kazane's personal laptop… I believe she wants you to looks at the files stored in them,' Ichiru said.

'Later…' Shinji tossed the laptop aside. Ichiru paled as the laptop bounced off the bed, but it remained in one piece, temporarily relieving Ichiru of his worries. He assumed that Kazane had installed measure that would protect the laptop should it fall into someone's crude hands (hint hint). Shinji then picked up the sword and unsheathed it. 'And this?'

'Hm…I believe… judging from the exterior and my knowledge… that that is your father's sword…'

'What…?' Shinji's eyes widened and he fingered the blade. 'How the hell did she get this?'

'After Aizen's betrayal, Kazane had a short period where she was free and she took the time to gather those things you see in the bag. She took the sword from the Hirako mansion, which is currently wasting away under the Kuchiki's hands.' Ichiru clenched his fists.

'Hn…' Shinji placed the sword down carefully. He then picked up the books. There were two books bonded together and first one looked particularly old. Shinji flipped through the book and read a bit. His eyes widened and he dropped the book on the bed. 'This… where did she get it?'

'The mansion, I believe…'

'Damn, he left all this and I didn't know?'

'Of course you wouldn't. Compared to Kazane, you spent almost all your life leaving outside the walls of the main mansion. The secret holes and hiding spots used by the elders could be found out in time, given Kazane's abilities, but you, who never stayed in the mansion for more than 3 days, never bothered to explore or take note of the mansion. As such, even if you had the skills, these materials hidden by the elders would have never been found under your hands,' Ichiru said, looking down.

'…It is my fault, then, that I didn't read it.'

'Of course,' Ichiru pushed up his sunglasses, giving him the impression that he was related to a certain Quincy.

'Blunt…' Shinji muttered and put the book away. He picked up the next one and flipped through. He recognized the format instantly, sighed, and snapped the book shut. 'What the hell is she thinking, giving me a friggin' diary?'

'It's your father's, I believe,' Ichiru pointed out. 'She must have wanted you to read it.'

'…' Shinji stared at the book. He said sourly, 'I suppose she took this from a hidden hole in the mansion again, just like the other book?'

'Yes, that's right. I happen to know that it was in the small compartment located at the top right hand side of the Hirako family crest carved onto the ceiling of your father's room,' Ichiru said knowledgably. Shinji's eyebrows twitched. Ichiru pointed to the file left on the bed. 'That's the last one. Get it over and done with so that I can go back.'

'Alright, alright…' Shinji rolled his eyes and emptied the contents of the file. Out came a scrap of paper as well as a letter. Sighing wearily, he picked up the scrap of paper and was greeted by numerals and alphabets. He groaned heavily and threw down the piece of paper. 'Why the hell does everything she give me involve riddles to solve? Don't tell me this is another of my father's old possessions.'

Ichiru picked up the scrap of paper and examined it. 'Hn… I suppose this is her laptop's password, though I can't be sure.'

'Like hell I need that,' Shinji commented, not caring is Ichiru heard or not. He picked up the last letter lazily and opened it, discovering a very familiar handwriting done delicately on a piece of pristine white paper. His hands shook slightly. Eyes spun through the piece of paper quickly. When he was done, he could not help but let out a sigh. Tossing it into the file again, he gave no comment.

Ichiru bowed, seeing his job done, and left silently.

'Well… I guess that now she wants me to take over the remnants of the Hirako Clan she found back in Soul Society,' Shinji muttered to himself. 'Ah! So frustrating! Like hell I wanna do that kind of boring stuff!' He grabbed the bag on his bed and scrunched it up. That was until he noticed that there was something really hard inside it. He groaned, 'Not another lost article or something…' He reached into the bag and pulled out the pouch, emptying it in the process. A gold ring dropped out, and he could make out the familiar crest on it easily. His hands picked it up cautiously, as if a wrong move could disintegrate the ring instantly. Slipping it on, he examined the effect. The ring looked exactly how it did on his father's hands. Shinji could not help but give a laugh.

'You never even gave me a choice. Ah, well, at least now I know I have a fortune waiting for me to enjoy my retirement days… As the new Head of the Hirako Clan.'

**Into Kazane's mind…**

It had been going on for ages now. The fight between Kazane and Fuyusuisei seemed never-ending. It was as if they spent every possible moment fighting viciously, sometimes going on for what seems like days in the eternally twilight snowy world. They both counted. It was nearing 50 fights in total now. It couldn't last forever, they knew. It had to end, soon.

The two scythes clashed against each other, the ice grinding and nearly drawing sparks. The two ladies stared at each other in the eye, each not willing to give up. With a strong thrust, Kazane threw Fuyusuisei off her feet. Like a bird, the zanpakto spirit flew through the air, did a graceful flip, and landed with a crunch on the snow a distance away. Not waiting for her to gain her bearings, Kazane dashed forward and struck again, slashing the scythe through the air and nearly severing Fuyusuisei's head.

Very nearly.

But not near enough.

The scythe stopped in its tracks just a tiny fraction of an inch from Fuyusuisei's neck. Kazane stood over Fuyusuisei, panting slightly. Fuyusuisei was sitting on the ground in shock. With a shaky hand, she raised herself off the ground and stood warily on the snow. Kazane's scythe left her neck and she threw it onto the ground.

She let out a triumph laugh. 'My prediction was correct! I knew it!'

Fuyusuisei sweat dropped. She muttered, 'What a change in mood. But… I suppose that is to be expected.' She glanced around and sighed. The blue snow slowly turned white. Kazane had won. Every spot was conquered. She would be the dominant personality for the rest of her life. But… that was to be expected anyways.

'I won, didn't I, Fuyu?' Kazane smiled gently.

'Yes, you did. You won… spectacularly. I never thought that you would read my moves… and my personality,' Fuyusuisei bowed her head. 'My abilities are completely yours. We are you, you are us. If you die, we die. If we die, you will never be whole again. Unfair, I know, but that is the privilege for our leader.'

Kazane frowned. 'You know a lot, don't you, Fuyu?'

'Yes… I do…'

'Then do you know how to change the rules?'

'WHAT?' Fuyusuisei looked shocked. She clutched her throat and looked at Kazane warily. 'What for?'

'I don't want to be your superiors. I want to be comrades,' Kazane declared. The shock stayed on her zanpakto spirit's face. Slowly, it ebbed away and it left her laughing.

'You said the same thing to Shiroi,' Fuyu said.

'That I did.'

'And Shiroi was so convinced that she agreed and has been working by your side ever since.'

'Yes, you know that as well as I do.'

'…You really are a human, Kazane.'

'I'm dead, so technically the word "human" hardly applies to me anymore.' Kazane shrugged.

Fuyusuisei took one look at Kazane's serious face and burst out laughing again. 'Ah… A first-rate laugh… You and I as well as Shiroi… we all are different parts of a soul but we share so many similarities… as well as the ability to produce what we love most-a first-rate laugh.'

'Not you… though…' Kazane commented under her breathe, remembering the many times when she groaned due to the very bad puns made up on the spot. 'But I do agree that we all have a soft spot for humor and we all… are just mischievous on the inside.'

'Yes… we are one. One for All…'

'All for One,' Kazane ended with a smile. Fuyusuiei nodded and smiled gracefully.

'I guess… that's the gist of it. I think… you'll flourish better than ever before, better than any of us will,' Fuyusuisei laughed and she began to shimmer.

'Wait! Will I see any of you again?' Kazane held Fuyusuisei's hands. 'It's lonely not hearing any of you…'

Fuyusuisei embraced the girl and stroked her hair. 'My dear mistress, you're the one **in charge**. If you wish for it, it will come true. So, don't worry. If you want to see us, you will.'

And she vanished into a wisp of shimmering dust, joining the rest of Kazane's soul.

**Back into the Human World, Urahara Shoten, Underground Training Hall (desert), Bed at the corner of the room.**

After days, her eyes finally opened to the false sky erected by the ex-12 Division Captain. She got up slowly and padded her way to the secret staircase she knew Urahara would build in the other side of the room. Sighing in relief when she found it, she walked up slowly and made her way to the dining area.

'Urahara-san…?' Kazane popped her head in, glancing around. He saw the man sitting at the table, head buried in a book and eyes nearly drooping close. He didn't respond-either he didn't hear it or he thought he didn't need to. She left out a puff of breathe and went over to him, tapping his on the shoulder.

'Yes?' Urahara looked up from the book and glanced at Kazane from head to toe. His jaw slacked and they dropped open.

'What is it?'

'Kaza… Kazane…?' He looked shocked. He pointed to her hair and asked, 'What did you do to it?'

'I didn't do anything.'

'But… Surely…'

'I didn't do anything, seriously,' Kazane insisted. 'I woke up barely 5 minutes ago. What's wrong with it, anyways?'

The door slid open before Urahara could reply, and then there was the clattering of tea cups. Both of them looked up and saw Youruichi staring shell-shocked at Kazane. She lifted a finger and pointed at her, saying in a shaky voice, 'Is that really you, Kazane?'

'Yes, it is! And I'm quite hungry, just so that you know,' Kazane pulled at her hair in frustration. 'Will someone tell me what's wrong or do I have to-oh.' She stared at her own hair, seeing black streaks raking through them. 'What the hell…?'

'That's what we'd like to know,' Urahara said solemnly. 'Why don't you go take a look at the mirror and see how much you've changed?'

'Come,' Youruichi left the tea cups on the floor and pulled Kazane gently by the arm to the bathroom where a large mirror was placed for some unknown reason. Kazane stared at herself, and she could feel her shock running through her veins.

'What… happened?' Kazane touched her face. She was paler now, and her features were more distinct, holding more of the aristocratic look she harboured since young. Her eyes were a deep royal blue instead of her usual violet orbs and she recognized them as Fuyusuisei's eyes. Moving on to her hair, she touched it just to make sure it was real. She still had blind hair, though now it had jet black streaks in them. _'Shiroi… what a contradiction. She's BLACK, not white…'_ She looked down and examined her body. She was slightly taller and her limbs looked firmer.

'You're like… a punk!' Youruichi pulled a lock of black hair. 'How are you going to school like this?'

'…I've decided not to go.'

'…That is to be expected then…'

'I don't see the need for it now, now that I've lived prominent lives many times over. For now… I'll live in seclusion so that no one will see my undeniable charm,' Kazane flicked a lock of black hair back. Youruichi smirked and poked her at the back of her head, causing a yelp to ring out in the room.

'Not even your dear brother or Byakuya?'

'Oh, they'll see me in the war, surely. I have a score to settle with Aizen,' Kazane said as she combed her hair with her fingers. 'Hey, I'm hungry. Anything to eat?'

'Oh course! It's Tessai's special tonight!' She laughed and smacked Kazane on the back. 'We have TONS of leftovers.'

'Ow, what is it with this abuse? I was out for a few days and now you start hitting me like you have some sort of personal grudge…' She massaged her back.

GROOOOOOOWWWWWWWWL.

Youruichi stared at her. Kazane raised a hand to her stomach, blushing in embarrassment. Laughing, Youruichi said, 'I'll get you something to eat. Get a wash and go to the dining area, ok?'

'Ok…' Kazane pouted but gave a quick smile and the older women.

**Urahara Shoten… Kazane's room…**

The door banged open and a sleepy Renji shuffled in. He rubbed his eyes blearily and looked around, noticing that there was someone in the room. He noticed that that someone was a female. And that she was fishing something lacy out of the bag in the corner of the closet. Blood came out like a waterfall.

'Hey! What do you think you're doing, taking that kind of stuff out?!' Renji shielded his eyes and turned away.

'Can I not? I'm in need of them right now,' Kazane replied innocently. She gestured to body, which was clothed only in an over-sized T-shirt.

'…Ojou-sama?'

'Ah, Ichiru. Could you help me with this?' Kazane put the underclothes into his hands and bent down to search through her bag again. 'I just can't find… that track pants I always liked…'

'Eh… Hiroshi… how can you hold it without getting embarrassed?' Renji peeked out from the corner of his eye. 'That's…'

'I'm used to doing what ojou-sama tells me to do,' Ichiru replied simply. He bent down to help Kazane search for her clothes.

'Ah! I just can't find it!' Kazane pouted and sat down cross-legged on the floor. She looked up and stared at the two men. 'What are you two doing here anyways?'

Renji stuttered, 'We're on…'

'Mission, Ojou-sama. We requested residence from Urahara-san and he rented us this room. However, we didn't know that you would be returning to lodge in this room so quickly. Please pardon us for intruding,' Ichiru bowed. He peeked at her hair but gave no comment.

Kazane frowned. 'You're so formal, Ichi-kun. Why? Actually, I wouldn't mind if you had to share a room with me. It's alright with you, right?'

'Eh? What about me?' Renji yelled.

'Oh… I forgot. I guess that you'll have to stay in Urahara-san's guest rooms then,' Kazane smiled.

'…What?'

She looked surprised. 'Didn't you know that Urahara-san has at least 3 vacant bedrooms in this shop?'

'…No.'

'Oh. I guess he was playing a prank on you then,' Kazane picked up her underwear from Ichiru's hands and dangled it from her fingers. More blood splattered onto the floor.

'…Abarai-san.'

'What is it, Hiroshi?' The words came out awkwardly as he was attempting to stem the flow of blood.

'After you cure your anemia, please clean the floor. We are sleeping here, after all.'

'Why should I do it?'

'You're the one dripping blood all over the floor,' Ichiru pointed out. Renji growled but gave in reluctantly.

'Ichi-kun…' Kazane prodded her bodyguard on the shoulder.

'Yes, Ojou-sama?'

'Could you give me my bra? I need to go change.'

Ichiru stared down at the piece of material in his hands, blushed furiously and returned it to her quickly. He bowed his head and apologised profusely, 'I'm so sorry, Ojou-sama! I had forgotten that I was… I'm so sorry!'

Kazane pouted and flicked a finger at the bodyguard's head. 'Baka Ichi-kun. Why are you acting so formal? Didn't I say this before? After the Soul Society incident, we two won't we Mistress and Bodyguard any more. I'm not a noble, Baka.'

Ichiru blushed and looked down. 'I'm so sorry…'

'…Is something wrong, Ichi-kun?'

'No… No, it's nothing. I just thought… forgive me for saying this, but you seem more carefree now.'

Kazane smiled a fraction of an inch. She shrugged and walked towards the door.

'You... may be right.'

'...Huh?'

'Might.' Confused looks watched her as she left the room.

**Back with Urahara and Youruichi**

'That... was certainly not what I expected,' Youruichi stated out after suffering a long silence. The piping hot food laid on the table beside her.

'That was not what expected either.' Urahara agreed. 'It's not like the Vizards. Kazane was fighting an internal battle with her own self. Unlike in the case of the Vizards, Kazane's hollow already belonged to her, conquered and accepted as her powers. This time... it's more of a psychological battle where the consequences involve the loss her control over her own body.'

'Say that in simplified Japanese, will you?' Youruichi frowned.

Urahara chuckled, 'To put it simply, Kazane was fighting with herself. If she loses, she disappears and an alternate persona will rise to take her place. Kind of scary, now that you think of it.'

'Kazane with a fetish for bears?' Youruichi suggested.

'Funny. But I was thinking along the lines of Kazane with a fetish for... blood.'

**Bleah, it's a short chapter. I know i haven't updated in ages, I'm sorry, but I'm currently facing a major writer's block whenever I see this chapter. I have no idea how to develop it further... So... PLEASE RXR! I meant it, readers, even if it's a one-word review or a whole paragraph of criticisms, I'll take every one seriously. I may not reply to them, but I assure you that every review will be taken into heart. So... PLEASE REVIEW! THANK YOU!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Winter Serenade Chapter 21**

**In the underground training hall…**

Clashes of blades, the sound of grinding dust as feet sped through it, the pants of exhaustion. A sudden whirl of wind as reiatsu built up and attacked, striking the surroundings and obliterating everything in its way. The crumbling of rock as metal sliced through it like butter. The sudden stillness as the victor was decided.

'Urahara-san… you're growing soft…' Kazane said in an annoyed tone. 'You can do better than that.'

Urahara grinned, 'But this training session is for you, Kaza-chan!'

'What good is it if the teacher can't even stand against the student!?' Kazane whacked the top of his head with the end of her scythe.

'Ow!' He rubbed his head. 'But you can control it well enough already…'

Kazane raised a fist and an icicle formed around it. It glinted dangerously. She smiled dangerously, 'Why not we test that out, huh?'

Urahara sweated. 'No need to! I'll step up my standard of fighting for sure!'

Kazane smiled sweetly and pointed it towards the ceiling. A torrent of ice shards sped towards it and cracked the ceiling. She pressed a finger to her lips, expressing mock surprise. 'Oh no, I only meant to shoot 3 of them! Look how wonderful my control is!'

'Enough sarcasm, more work…' he muttered and shoved his bucket cap down, picking up his sword and getting into a fighting stance.

'Hm…' She swung her scythe around. 'Maybe…' There was a rumble of reiatsu.

'Not.'

'Ah… what bad timing. It's arrancar.'

'Got it. Bye!' Kazane flashed stepped off. Urahara watched her leave, pulling his bucket hat further down.

'Ara, and we were in the middle of training. I suppose that can be considered training but… whatever it is, don't lose control.'

**A particular street in Karakura Town…**

Ichiru wielded his sword, eyeing the arrancar warily as it lumbered its way towards him. His grip tightened around the hilt.

'Hey… are you strong?' the arrancar questioned, licking his lips. Ichiru didn't reply, lifting his sword higher.

'Hey! I asked you a question!' the arrancar slashed at the air, sending bits and pieces of the pavement shooting towards Ichiru. Ichiru flashed stepped away, dodging the rocks narrowly.

'Slice through the heavenly skies, Yoru no Kage!' Ichiru released his zanpakto. It turned into the black pole.

'So you are strong! I can feel it…' the arrancar sniffed the air. His tongue shot out as if he could taste the air, and apparently he looks as though he's enjoying it.

'What's your name, arrancar?' Ichiru demanded.

The arrancar took one look at him and snorted. 'I have no name, unlike the other arrancar that came! Grimmjow –sama promised me of a name when I get back to Hueco Mundo, but until then…' he licked his lips. 'You'll have to die for me if you want my name, shinigami…'

Ichiru swung his pole. 'I'm afraid I can't do that.' He pounced.

The arrancar reacted quickly. He pulled out his sword and deflected the gust of wind sent to him. He then proceeded to block every attack dealt. The arrancar taunted, 'Come on, you can't be this weak! Hit me, come on!'

'Ichiru-kun…' the familiar voice rang out.

'Ojou- no… Kazane-san…' Ichiru backed away immediately and nodded towards the blond girl that had appeared.

The arrancar licked his lips. 'Hm… a sweet thing you are. Your aura spits out strength… Are you strong?'

Kazane eyed him bemusedly. 'Why don't you find out?' She added to the shinigami behind her, 'Ichiru, record this…'

The arrancar grinned. 'Why don't I?' He lifted his sword… only that it wasn't a complete sword anymore. Kazane raised her hand along with the half of the arrancar's blade.

'Am I strong, arrancar-kun?' Kazane sang, running forward with the blade stuck out in front of her. The blade pierced him through the shoulder, drawing blood. He spat out the red substance and it landed on her clothes, staining it a brilliant red.

'You…' The arrancar growled. He raised his zanpakto and said, 'Release, Lizard-King!' He transformed into a lizard-like thing, its features formed distinctively by the white goo that formed the very same mask on him. His tail was unusually long and it whipped about dangerously. The hole on his stomach was still there, though it was covered partially by his scales.

'Interesting…' Kazane instructed before flash stepping over to the arrancar's back. She released her zanpakto, 'Fuyusuisei…' the hilt had transformed into the long sword before changing into the familiar scythe.

'I see you, shinigami!' the arrancar turned around and charged towards her, tongue out and ready to lash.

STAB! Kazane plunged the head of her scythe through the arrancar's hole, ripping past the sinewy flesh and scales. She then pulled it out again, slashing through the entire right side of his body. The arrancar gave a blood-curdling scream as its blood flowed and stained the pavement.

'Kazane…' Ichiru mouthed, mortified by the display of violence. The camera he was using to record the scene was shaking.

Kazane licked her bloody hands and ran her tongue over the bloody face of her scythe, glancing at Ichiru sideways. She grinned, 'That was… interesting. Who knew arrancars were so fun to hunt?'

'Kazane…'

_She's changed._

**With Urahara later that night…**

Ichiru stepped into the sitting room where Urahara was drinking tea. He bowed and took a seat opposite him. Urahara set down his tea cup and picked up the camera on the table.

'This is a recording of the battle between Kazane and the lizard arrancar just now?' Urahara turned the camera on and searched it for the video.

'She instructed me to record the match. I assumed that it was for research purpose as we have little information on the arrancars. But… I felt that I had to show you this video. Kazane… she has…' Ichiru bit his lip. 'Watch it, please.'

Urahara played the short video clip and watched as Kazane slaughtered the arrancar mercilessly, as well as the final question she voiced out before the screen went black. He sighed and played the video again, searching it closely for any details. He stopped one particular moment and gestured for Ichiru to come over, which he did. Urahara zoomed in to Kazane's eyes and pointed them out.

'Look. What colour are they?' Urahara pointed to her eyes.

Ichiru peered closely before saying, 'It's… Holy- It's violet, blue, black and gold. How did that…?'

Urahara zoomed in closer. He pointed out, 'There are also specks of green and red. Kazane's eyes are originally violet. Fuyusuisei's are blue while her hollow's are black and gold. But there's no link with Kazane and red or green eyes. What I can deduce is that when she's fighting, she draws out her own special kind of power, and that power is one that involves all parts of her soul. Thus, her eye colour changes to reflect that. Look, I'll play it further…' Urahara pressed the play button and it showed Kazane's eye colours changing every second. At the last part where she said "Who knew arrancars were so fun to hunt?" her eyes were a clear violet.

'What does it mean? At the last part, they were violet. That's Kazane's true eye colour. Does that mean that… Kazane actually meant it without influence from her soul?' Ichiru looked horrified. He stood up and shook his head. 'No, that can't be true!'

'There are many layers in Kazane, like an onion. I think this is the one layer that not many have seen. Were you aware that Kazane loves to have fun?'

Ichiru nodded. 'It's apparent in her childhood. She loves playing, breaking rules, escaping to Rukongai… anything that invokes thrill. I thought that it was a result from her noble upbringing but… is it really her true nature? All the while… she was so serious…'

'It makes sense. Her zanpakto's shikai is of a morphing weapon. Could it be that Kazane sees the weapon as toy that can change to fit her desire when she grows tired of her old weapon? Certainly playful… and dangerous, that kind of shikai…' Urahara laced his fingers and rested them on the table. 'That certainly helped understand her a bit more…'

'Her zanpakto spirit likes lame jokes…' Ichiru threw in his two cents' worth. He caught Urahara's questioning stare and hurriedly explained, 'She was always telling me such lame jokes and puns… When I asked, she said that Haruka made them up and she had to share them or Haruka will go on a strike… what's a strike, by the way?'

Urahara ignored the last question but chuckled heartily. 'Well, at least she's not the only one out there that just wants to have fun. Where is she, by the way?'

Ichiru closed his eyes for a second before opening them. He informed, 'She's downstairs training. She mentioned something about her Bankai… and not to let anyone go in there for the rest of the night.'

Outside the room, someone, who was very likely to be Jinta, yelled, 'Who the hell installed an air-conditioner inside there? It's freezing! Argh! Where did the ice come from? Ahhh! It's spreading!!!'

Urahara eyed the door which was covered in frost. 'Well… I think we have out reason.'

**With Kazane…**

'More…' Kazane whispered out as she pointed to an already frozen rock. More ice formed around it, freezing it until the rock could barely be seen through the thick layer of frost. Kazane picked it up and shot it to the wall. It connected and ice exploded. It froze the area quickly, and soon, the whole room was covered with a layer of icy frost.

'_Nice… Now add a little pavilion and you have a replica of your inner world…' _Kazane thought sarcastically. She glanced up at the frozen ceiling. 'Come to think of it… why not add some snow?' She closed her eyes and raised both hands, palms up. Her reiatsu flared around her and soon, it was snowing.

'**Hey… That's not all you can do.'**

Kazane opened her eyes. 'Fuyusuisei?'

'**No, it's Kazane. Ka-za-ne. Say it.'**

Kazane blinked once, blinked twice, and inclined her head in realization. 'Oh… So, tell me, Kazane-chan, what else can I do?'

'**Kazane-chan? You actually want to call yourself in that way? Anyways, answering your question, you can do Bankai, of course. It's different now, but I'm sure you'll handle them just fine. Remember?'**

'Winter's Cradle, Nocturnal Snow Wrath… they're the ones I use the most… actually, the only ones I've used on an enemy so far. Then there's Snow Globe, the protective form, and Winter Playland. I haven't been training Winter Playland since… Reiyuu-sensei died.' Kazane took out her zanpakto. She muttered the release and out came the long, sharp ice sword.

'**Of course… Winter Playland is your best yet most unpolished form. Would you like me to pass on the skills of mastering that Bankai?'**

Kazane froze. She gripped her sword tightly and whispered, 'Can you?'

'**Naturally. So, why not we start now?'**

She smiled. 'Thank you… Kazane-chan.'

'**You're welcome, Kazane-chan.'**

**With Shinji… on a wall far from the place where Ichigo (and Hiyori) was demolishing…**

He stared at the ring on his finger, toying with it continuously. The next second, he took out the book given to him by Kazane, and then the next he was back staring at the ring.

'What is it? An engagement ring?' Kensei looked over his shoulder. He peered at the crest on the ring and widened his eyes. 'That can't be what I think it is.'

'It is, Kensei,' Shinji smirked. He showed it to him, but didn't take it off.

Kensei looked closely at it. 'Holy mother of hollows, where did you get this?' he turned skeptical. 'It isn't an imitation product, is it?'

'No, it's not. It's the exact thing,' Shinji fingered it again. 'Do hollows have mothers?'

'…Where did you get this?' Kensei asked again.

'…' Shinji didn't reply.

'It couldn't be… from her?'

'Indirectly, but yes,' Shinji nodded.

'Your sister?' Kensei's eyes twitched.

'Is there a problem? It's mine, anyways,' Shinji shrugged. 'She gave it to me.'

Kensei was silent for a while. He cracked his mouth open and asked, 'Will you be going back? Do you even know what accepting that ring entitles? We can't go back, not when we're all in this state. Central 46 will kill us for sure!'

'True, but if I don't, then she will become the next head of the family, and I don't want that,' Shinji tucked his hand into his pocket. 'I'm not going to pass on this position to her.'

'Why? Is it because she made your childhood hell? Or is it because you don't want her to take on the burden? You rejected that position before! You killed the clan's future with your own hands. How come… why would you… want to head a family that you yourself don't want?' Kensei pounded his fist on the hard concret.

'I wasn't clan head then, not officially. The ring was missing when I was supposed to become the head, so the title wasn't on me, officially. But now… perhaps I can finally bring everything to an end. …Hey, Kensei?'

'Hm?'

'You're cooking dinner today!' Shinji got up and flash stepped off.

'Oi! Shinji!' Kensei burst a few blood vessels as he hollered. 'Don't push your chores to me!'

**Next Day…**

'Please train me!'

Kazane looked up at the source of the plead. The scythe in her hand was still spreading milky white mist over its path. Curious, she lifted the hems of her white kimono and flash-stepped up to the main shop.

'Please, Urahara-san! Train me! At my current strength, I cannot assist Ichigo in any way. Please, I want to get stronger!' Sado was on his knees. Kazane raised an eyebrow and looked at the shop keeper.

'What's this…?' She asked.

'Exactly what you just heard,' Urahara replied.

'You? Train him?' she looked incredulous.

'Ichigo improved incredibly even after a few days of Urahara-san's training. If I could be trained by Urahara-san… then perhaps… I can reach towards Ichigo's strength, even if it's just a little. Please, train me for the Winter War!' Sado bowed.

'But that was because Ichigo was up to standards,' she countered. 'I'm saying it bluntly. If you attempt to train against Urahara-san, you'll die within the first 5 minutes.'

Urahara flapped his fan at her. 'Aw, Kazane, don't flatter me so. But it's true, I cannot train you, Sado-kun. The difference between strengths is too much. I may accidentally end up killing you.'

'But-'

Kazane interjected, 'What about that freeloader?'

'Eh?'

'Not a bad idea, Kazane,' Urahara smiled.

'What?'

'Oh, you're home, Renji-kun, Ichiru-kun!' the two blonds turned to the door and smiled creepily. Renji and Ichiru backed away nervously.

'Yes…?' Ichiru asked apprehensively.

'We've got a way for you two to repay your debt!' Urahara grinned.

'No, no, for Renji-kun only!' Kazane said. 'Ichiru's mine to order around!'

'Ok, ok.'

'Debt?'

Urahara smiled sinisterly, 'You don't think we'll let you stay for free, do you?'

GULP.

'Well, Sado-kun, you've got a teacher!' Kazane pointed her scythe to Sado

GULP. 'Could you please remove that from my face… please?'

'Oh!' She didn't withdraw the scythe but instead had a very thoughtful look on her face.

'What is it?'

She winked. 'There's double training!'

'WHAT?'

'Haha! The training hall is covered in ice so it'll be a tad cold, but it'll be a good simulation for the Winter War though!' She laughed happily.

Renji rushed to the door to the hall and saw the snowing icy hall. He paled.

'We'll get frostbite!'

'Too bad~!'

**A few minutes later…**

Urahara walked into the sitting room where Kazane was sitting and drinking tea. He chuckled softly and took a seat opposite her. Kazane poured him a cup and pushed it towards the shop keeper.

'How is it going?'

'Abarai-kun seems bent on chipping away all the ice from the room before they start training. He went all out and used bankai.'

Kazane snorted. 'Bankai? Our zanpaktos are being used for more and more stupid things now. What next? Use it to demolish a building?'

'He did that already,' Urahara reminded.

'Ara, you're right…'

Silence.

'Enough small talk. Where are you intending to train after this?'

'There are plenty of places for me to train. I'll just find one tomorrow.'

'Don't joke around. I was peeking just now and that bankai you were using…'

'Winter Playland.'

'Huh?'

'My ultimate form, Winter Playland. That's what I was practicing just now.'

'Anyways, that thing is really… beyond comprehension.'

'I know. I never knew how to use it until now, and it has been quite troublesome to use.'

Urahara frowned, 'Troublesome?'

Kazane smiled and said, 'It's very different from what you normally see. It's like… hm, Kyoraku-taicho's bankai, except that it's not very like that…'

'I completely don't get you. How did you know what his bankai was, anyway?'

'I knew you wouldn't. And how I get my information is none of your business.'

He laughed, 'Cryptic . But now, things have been set into motion. Ichigo is with the Vizards, Soul Society is preparing for the war and… you are training to fight him, no?'

Kazane stood up. 'If it's the last thing I do, I want to kill Aizen. For you, for me, and for all those that have suffered under his hands. I will kill him, even if he kills me.'

Urahara said nothing as she walked out as silently as he was then.

**Time skip: One month later, Urahara Shoten…**

'Uwaaaa!'

'Hyaaaa!'

*Grunt!

'Uwoooo!'

Smash!

Faint.

'Tessai, revive him.'

'OW!!!!'

'Right, ready to go back to training!'

'Slave driver…'

'…It looks like fun! …What's going on, by the way…?'

'Kaza-chan! So nice to race us with your presence in this extremely repetitive training, ' Urahara greeted cheerfully. He nodded towards the empty space on the slab of stone he was sitting on. 'Come, come, tell me all about your adventures. You were gone for a whole month; I was worried that you'd have no food to eat or even met some rouge hollows!'

'Enough sarcasm,' Kazane sat down beside him and crossed her legs.

'How's training?'

'I mastered it, finally. I think I'll be able to match up to Aizen soon, with the ever increasing amount of reiatsu growing inside me,' She ran her fingers along her zanpakto.

'Good, good, you're amazing to achieve so much after only a month,' Urahara nodded. 'Those two are doing well as well. And little Hiroshi-kun is on his own, training. I think he's with the other shinigami right now. It seems like he enjoys company while he trains, unlike a certain someone here.'

'Sorry for wanting to NOT sacrifice lives while training. Normal people don't have the same resistance to cold like me,' she rolled her eyes. 'The waterfall I trained at won't defrost until next summer.'

'Waterfall….'

'Yes?'

'Darn, I should have thought of that, right Youruichi?'

MEOW! Kazane yelped as the black cat jumped onto her head and settled calmly on the said head. Growling, she attempted to pluck the cat off her head but yelped when the claws dug into her scalp.

'Alright! No claws, no claws!' She yelped, releasing the cat immediately. 'How did you get here without me detecting you, anyways?'

MEOW! Youruichi thumped her head with something small on her neck. Kazane reached up and took it carefully, wary of the cat. She examined the object in her hand until she remembered what it was.

'Urahara-san, why do you still have this?' Kazane asked sweetly in a dangerously low tone.

'Ehehe…'The bracelet was thrust into his hands. He toyed with the pink heart bracelet, swinging it from here to there like a swing. 'It still works wonders. Perhaps you should bring it with you…'

'No way.'

'Ugh…' he looked down dejectedly. 'I made a few modifications too… I'll be very sad if you don't accept it… Kaza-chan…'

'Krk… Do you have to put up that disgusting puppy-dog face?' She snatched the bracelet forcefully away from him and tucked it into her pocket.

Urahara shook his head. 'No, no, it has to be on your body, Kaza-chan. You know how it works.'

'Grr…'

'… Ok, why not you make it into a holster or something?'

The growling stopped.

'Uh… but the bracelet must be around at least one part of your body.'

The growling started again.

MEOW! Scratch!

'Ow! Youruichi-san!'

'Stop whining, Kazane! Keisuke, tell her what it's for!'

'Keisuke…? I didn't know you were on first name terms, Youruichi, Urahara.' Kazane commented, earning a two glares.

'Ahem. This bracelet was designed to not only conceal your reiatsu, it can also regulate and store excess reiatsu so that the excess reiatsu can be discharged from your body in a non-harmful way. You were hurt. Weren't you, during the past month?' He eyed her.

Kazane flushed and looked away, clutching her abdomen. 'Just a little.'

'Even after practicing Bankai day and night, there was still excess energy left in your body. It'll get worse as time goes by. Are you sure that you won't get hurt again? I think not. And what if you can't practice Bankai? What will you do with all the reiatsu building up in you?' Urahara beat her down with his solid argument.

'As long as I stay in the Human World, there's no reason why I can't practice my Bankai!'

'And if you don't?'

'…What do you mean?'

'Just a possible scenario. What if you had to go to Soul Society, or even worse, Hueco Mundo?'

'…Impossible. There's no way I'm going to Hueco Mundo. The arrancar will have trouble bringing me there, and even if I go there, I'll just massacre the whole lot and come home. And Soul Society won't bother me, I'm sure of that. They know that I'm volatile to unwanted orders, and I'm just important in winning this war as the captains are.' Kazane shook her head.

'Either way, keep this on you. I don't want anything to happen to you. Not now.

'Your concern is greatly appreciated.'

**Vizard's Hideout, the next day…**

'Oya! Is that all you've got?! Hey! I told you not to take it off without my permission!' A sandal flew through the air like a dagger and hit its target with frightening accuracy.

'Hey! Give me a break already! I'm doing my best!'

'Doing your best? As if! 11 seconds in a month is hardly worth the time! You better buck up or you'll meet my sword!'

'Hey! Ow!!' the other sandal slammed into his face from a flying kick.

'Don't talk back to me, you carrot head!'

'Oya, it's very noisy here, isn't it?'

'Very,' Lisa agreed as she turned the page of her manga.

'Hm. It's become a natural occurrence,' Kensei didn't look up from his weights.

'Yes, it has, hasn't it?' Love and Rose mumbled from the couch.

'Wait, who said that, anyways?' Shinji looked up.

Kazane smiled and waved her hand. 'It's been a while, Vizard-chan!' _'I think I've been broadcasting my presence to others verbally these days. Did their senses dull? Of no, of course not, I have this bracelet on, dear me. I should have remembered that.' _

Shinji jumped up and pointed to her, screaming, 'How did you get in?'

Hachi bowed his head from behind her. He mumbled, 'She threatened to slice my head if I didn't let her in. I didn't want to risk doubting that, so I let her in…'

'You really shouldn't have sent him out to do shopping, you know?' Lisa said, nose still stuck in her manga.

'Oy, Lisa, be a bit more serious about this, won't you?'

'Why should I be? I have no reason to fear her,' Lisa countered. She said to Kazane, 'Oy, Hiroshi-chick, you want a mag? Maybe we'll be able to compare bodies?'

'Lisa!'

'I wouldn't mind, actually,' Kazane skipped over to Lisa's couch. 'Is that the latest edition?' Lisa pulled Kazane down to look closely at the magazines and they actually looked at the magazines in detail.

'Lisa!'

'What?' Two pairs of eyes snapped up and glared at Shinji.

'Is it really alright, for her to just stroll in like she owns the place, and act as if we're her friends?' Shinji said.

'I don't see a problem with it,' Lisa said.

'Heck, she's one of us,' Love and Rose said. Mashiro mumbled something along the same lines in her sleep.

'You could be more matured about this, Shinji,' Kensei sided with the group and looked at Shinji disapprovingly.

'WHAT? THE HIROSHI-CHICK IS BACK?' Hiyori screeched.

'At least Hiyori's on my side…' Shinji muttered under his breath.

'Hiyori-chan doesn't count!' Kazane smiled. 'Because…'

A sandal flew through the air but was stopped in its path by her hand. Hiyori yelled, 'Oi, get over here and beat the crap out of your brother, whatever he is!'

'Why don't you do it yourself?'

'Hmph!' She scowled. 'Anyways, just get over here. Maybe he'll be more encouraged if you reveal some skin…'

Kazane chuckled and flashstepped over. She took out her zanpakto that was attached to a holster on her thigh and released it swiftly. The scythe glinted in the light. Ichigo immediately backed away.

'Oi, oi! Don't wave that thing around!' Ichigo rushed away.

'That… thing?' She followed him, catching up in an instant. 'You could have more respect, you know?' The scythe came down and made a huge slice on the ground. Ichigo flash stepped away just in time to avoid the blow. Kazane sent another strike at him and said, 'After all, if I called your Zangetsu a thing, you'd feel insulted too, right, you cleaver-wielding-carrot-head-punk-of-a-substitute-shinigami-cum-Vizard!'

'That was long…' Lisa commented.

'Who're you calling a cleaver-wielding… uh…' Ichigo paused. 'Well, whatever! Just don't-argh!'

The scythe nearly chopped his head off. Ichigo blocked the next attack with his sword, and the next, and the next. The attacks came swifter and stronger, and once again, he was forced to call upon his mask. The mask formed on his face in a swirl of black reiatsu, and his eyes turned black with golden pupils. Kazane licked her lips and charged forward again, attacking with more vigor.

'11 seconds in 1 month? That's pathetic!' She commented snidely as she sliced up his hakama.

'Hey, I'm not going easy on you! Getsuga Tenshou!' The Getsuga Tenshou slashed through the air and headed speedily towards Kazane.

A smirk.

A cero fired and met with the black wave. They clashed and sent waves and torrents of energy around the room.

'What…' Ichigo was too stunned to respond. He raised his zanpakto warily.

And then, in the next moment, she was gone. 'Never hesitate,' Kazane appeared behind him and raised her scythe to her neck. 'If you do, even for a split second, you may die.' She disappeared and reappeared in front of him. A cero was building up in her palm.

'Damn!' Ichigo raised his sword to block the Cero. The mask cracked on the edges. 'Damn! I'm out of time!'

'You're not. Sustain it. Make an effort to keep it,' Kazane slashed at him. Ichigo blocked the attack and sent another Getsuga Tenshou.

'I am!' CLANG!

'Then you must be pathetic to the core! 11 seconds in 1 month? That kind of abysmal result is ill-fitting compared to the time you learnt Bankai!' SMASH!

'This is harder than it looks! I need time!' CUT!

'And didn't you complain about not having _enough time_?' BOOM!

'I did but-' BLOCK!

'We don't HAVE time, you cleaver-wielding-carrot-head-punk-of-a-substitute-shinigami-cum-Vizard!' KLANG!

'But didn't Hirako say that the Hougyoku can only be used in Winter?' KLING!

'Idiot!' Kazane blew him off and turned to Shinji. 'Who told you that?'

'Uh… Urahara?' Shinji chuckled nervously under her glare. 'I swear! That's what he told me!'

'Urahara doesn't know shit about the Hougyoku!' The words came out angry, harsh, and at a level close to a scream. Her reiatsu flared around her in angry, icy, torrents.

SMOTHER! 'Whoah, keep calm, little one!' Rose and Love pinned her down to the sandy floor. Kazane didn't resist, but she was twitching angrily.

'What's wrong?' Lisa had put down her magazines and flash stepped over to where they were. Wincing slightly at the strong reiatsu, she knelt down and patted her head to calm the girl down. 'Is it bad?'

'Hougyoku reawaken in winter my ass! Did Urahara convince you all that the Hougyoku's true potential can only be reawaken in winter? Heck no! That guy who hasn't even had contact with the Hougyoku since he turned it into that form would never understand that the Hougyoku can be used at full strength if it made contact with an incredibly powerful person, which Aizen so conveniently is! Argh, I'll kill him the next time I see him for not consulting me about it first before spreading the information! The more we underestimate Aizen, the worse the outcome!' The pulse of reiatsu grew weaker a notch, but the flow was still steady. 'Argh!' And with every "argh", it seems that she was calming down.

'Hey, calm down,' Hachi waddled over too. 'Getting mad won't solve anything at this point.'

'Right! The main problem is this idiot right here!' Hiyori punched Ichigo. She yelled, 'Oi, you, get back to training!'

'But she-' WHACK!

'Get back to training you cleaver-wielding-carrot-head-punk-of-a-substitute-shinigami-still-not-cum-Vizard!'

'She memorised it…'

'That she did.'

'Hiyori is amazing. I thought only the Hiroshi-chick could say that in one breath…'

'Aha… Hiyori can do amazing things sometimes,' Kazane giggled, apparently recovered enough from her sudden bout of anger to not shake and blow people off with her reiatsu. She got up slowly, dusting herself off. Bowing to the Vizards, she said, 'Thank you. I think I'll go and whip some Urahara ass right now.'

RUMBLE of reiatsu.

'Maybe not.'

From the other end where Ichigo was training, a shout was heard, 'Let me go, dammit, you short stick!'

'Who're you calling a short stick, carrot head?'

'You, the shortie with a board for a chest!'

WHAM!

**Oh. My. God. How long has it been since I last updated… AND Winter Serenade is approaching its 1 year mark! Oh wait, let me check… Oh my &*^%, it's already 1 year, 5 days old! Oh well, I guess 20 chapters in one year isn't too bad… not. I still feel depressed whenever I get story alerts from certain stories every week or so, but I'll try to buck up… the keyword being TRY! Ok, hope you like the chapter. Please leave a review if you can, even if it's one word like "AMAZING!" or "CRAP!" or "LAME!" or "IMPRESSIVE!" Thank you for reading, especially those that have stayed with me since this was first published. Thank you very much! *bows**


	22. Chapter 22

**Winter Serenade Chapter 22**

**Dark, eerie alley of Karakura Town… where evil, slimy (ok, maybe not really slimy) Arrancars were plotting their move…**

"Heheh, so how are my plans going?"

"Who said they were your plans!"

"…I made them, duh."

"…Touché."

"Well, it's a good thing we were even allowed to come to the human world to wreck havoc anyways. We must be good if Aizen-sama decided that he needed Arrancar to help with his plans."

"Shut up! Let's enjoy our time here!"

"Yeah!" All the Arrancars flooded to the narrow opening.

_"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. _Hado 63! Soren Sokatsui!" The two fire balls came hurling at the mass of Arrancar. In a matter of seconds, all the Arrancar had been annihilated except for one lone Arrancar who escaped the blast because he was too hesitant in participating in havoc wrecking.

"You, Arrancar, what are you doing here?" the long hair male shinigami cocked his head and drew his sword. The Arrancar cowered.

"Aizen-sama... wanted us to provide distraction!" it whimpered and cowered.

"Hmph... what is the meaning of this..." He 'che-d' and closed up on the Arrancar. "I'll make this quick. Don't move."

The blade slashed through the mask and shattered it. The Arrancar disappeared.

"They're not even worth the time... what's with Aizen? Ojou-sama?" Ichiru touched his metal plate-like earring hanging on his right earlobe.

"**zzztt... Ichi… Ichiru. How's it on your end?"**

"Ojou-sama," Ichiru gave a small bow to no-one in particular. "I dealt with a few more in my area. They weren't worth the usage of Shikai."

"**I see. Some minor hollows and Arrancars are converging at my area. It seems as though they're trying to direct me away from the other higher-level Arrancar that arrived with them."**

"I shall head over immediately."

"**No, it's alright. If they want to distract me, then let them, You head over to the battle and see if you can assist in any way. Give me a report on it when you get back."**

"But... don't you want to see them for yourself? These Arrancars can barely be called Arrancars. They're too weak. They're just for stalling you. I'm sure if I go over, I would be able to handle them by myself." Ichiru closed his eyes to focus on scanning the area for a cluster of Arrancar.

"**It's alright. Leave me be. These Arrancar were just made. They have no skill. I think Aizen just made them from normal hollows instead of Menos, that's why they're still green and weak. But even though they're weak, they still require some energy to kill them. Let me use this opportunity to whittle away some of my energy."**

"Is it... alright?"

"**It is."**

"Then... alright then. I shall do as you instructed." Ichiru flashed stepped off.

**On the other end of the line...**

"Ah, ok, Ichiru's gone. Now, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" Kazane turned to the dark skinned blond standing at a side.

"I'm Tia Halibel, the Tercera Espada. Aizen-sama has ordered me to invite you to Hueco Mundo, where he humbly resides," Halibel stepped forward by one step. "I am allowed to use lethal force to bring across the invitation."

Kazane pouted, "That's not very nice, Halibel-san. If you really want me to accept your invitation, you should do it nicely."

Halibel's eyebrow twitched. She cleared her throat and repeated, bowing a little at the waist, "Hiroshi Kazane-sama, Aizen-sama has invited you to his humble palace in Hueco Mundo. Please accept his kind invitation."

"I was kidding when I said you had to do it nicely, you know."

Halibel's fist shot forward.

"Ara, ara, how am I supposed to accept an invitation to a place where not even the Tercera Espada can control her fists..." Kazane giggled as she grabbed hold of the fist, twisted, and flipped Halibel over with a simple trip at the ankle. **(A/N: For those who are Judokas, think Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi)**

"You-" Halibel tried to get up. Kazane stopped her with a foot to the chest and a Cero powering at her fingertips.

"I have no intention of leaving this world as of this moment. But, tell Aizen that when I decide to go, I will do so without a fight. Now leave. Your Arrancar scent is defiling this town." Kazane kicked her away and shunpo-ed off.

"Urgh..." Halibel got up and massaged her chest. A large bruise was blossoming at the area she was kicked. "To think... she could pack that much power into a simple kick... Ah... I think that broke a few ribs here..."

**Later that day, when all the fighting and screaming and enemy bashing was over, in Urahara Shoten...**

"It's over..."

"Never, am I going up against an Espada again until I have to..."

"The damn Luppi girl broke a few of my ribs with her weird tentacles."

"Hey, that Espada was a male. He had no tits."

"Don't compare others with your chest, Matsumoto."

"... ..."

"Why are we here anyways?"

The door slid open. Ichigo barged in, panting heavily. His hakama was still bloodied and fresh cuts and bruises decorated his flesh. All eyes turned to the orange head. Ichigo leant heavily against the door frame and slid down tiredly.

"Where's Inoue?" Ichigo demanded, finding the strength to voice his worry.

"Inoue?"

"The large busted chick, is it?"

Rukia looked up worriedly. "I haven't seen her yet. I left Soul Society before her, but I'm sure she left within the hour and should have been here long ago. Didn't you see her?"

"No! I don't sense her anywhere!" Ichigo yelled, eyes frantic. "It's like... she's... _dead."_

"Nonsense. Inoue was perfectly alive when I left. There's nothing that could possibly happen in the dangai... the..." Rukia gasped. "No way. Could it be that..."

Urahara tapped his chin with his fan. "Perhaps... the attack was a diversion so that we wouldn't notice the absence of Inoue-chan? And also to lure her into the dangai, where it was easy to infiltrate and kill her?"

"No!" Both Ichigo and Rukia shouted and stood up.

"I'm going to search the town," Ichigo said simply before dashing out of the shop.

Rukia whipped out her Shinigami-issued phone. "I'll check on what Soul Society has to say."

Urahara watched the two leave the room in haste, sighing into his fan. He turned his eyes to Kazane, who was sitting with her legs to her chest at a corner, zanpakto unsealed and positioned in between her legs and resting on her left shoulder. The uniform she wore was still stained with dark blood.

"And you? Did you find out anything?"

"Hm... no, not anything of interest," Kazane stood up. "I'm going to destroy some boulders. Anyone wants to tag along?"

No one said anything. She left the room without even giving them a chance to answer. After a few moments, Ichiru got up and followed her.

Ikkaku rested his chin on his palm and slouched towards the table. "Tch. I have a bad feeling about what's to come. Yumichika, let's go. If we're going to war, then we need to be in best condition."

Yumichika brushed his hair out of his face and stood up together with Ikkaku. "Yes, let's. My beauty is too much to waste on just sitting her waiting for news."

"Taicho..." Matsumoto glanced at her white-haired captain.

"Heal yourself. Then meet up with those two. I'll go submit a report," Hitsugaya stood up, frowning. "I have a bad feeling as well. The Arrancar leaving us suddenly at the end makes Urahara's theory very possible."

Renji coughed. "Then... That chick is dead?"

Urahara shook his head. "No, I think it's more likely that she has been kidnapped. Her powers do seem like the type to intrigue Aizen. But when is weird is that I can't seem to sense her at all. It's as Ichigo said, that she feels like she has died."

"That..."

"Don't dwell on what you cannot help. It's been a few hours. If Inoue Orihime has indeed been kidnapped, then there is nothing we can do at this moment except improve ourselves until we receive further orders." Hitsugaya walked out of the door. Matsumoto reluctantly followed suit.

**At a place where boulders could be smashed and no one would notice...**

Kazane whacked the rocks with her bare fists again and again. One by one, the hands slammed against the hard surface and cracked the surface of the large and seemingly impossible to break rocks. After a few hits, it shattered into pieces, littering the ground with sharp fragments. Kazane fired a Cero at them, completely obliterating the pieces before moving on to another unfortunate piece of rock.

"Kazane..." Ichiru reached out hesistantly at the blond shinigami. "Stop. You're hurting your hands."

Kazane continued to pound away at the rocks. Ichiru could see blood splattering against the dent in the rocks, and trickles of blood were running down her arms as well as the face of the stone.

"Kazane!" Ichiru grabbed her wrists from behind. Kazane stopped, breathing heavily. Her eyes closed and she slumped against his chest.

"No... I need to expel the extra..." Kazane groaned tiredly. She pushed off his chest, but Ichiru wrapped his arms, still holding her wrists, around her waist.

"No. You're hurting yourself," Ichiru said to her ear. "I won't let you hurt yourself anymore."

"You won't let me?" Kazane snorted incredulously. "Since when did you have any power over me?"

Ichiru flinched and released her, taking quick steps away. Kazane realised what she was saying and turned to him, shock and regret flashing in her eyes.

"No, Ichiru, I'm so sorry..." Kazane reached forward and grabbed the lapels of his uniform. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean that. Ichiru..."

Ichiru hesitantly placed his hands on her shoulders. "No... It's alright. You need to vent. It was my mistake to have stopped you. You're right. I can't decide what you can or cannot do. I'm sorry."

She buried her face into his chest. "You're warm, Ichiru."

The shinigami wrapped his arms around her and slowly lowered her to the ground, where she sat on his lap and remained with her head to his chest. Ichiru slowly ran one hand through her smooth hair matted with blood at the tips. The other was wrapped around Kazane's waist, pulling her close to his body.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?" Ichiru whispered.

Kazane raised her head slightly. "You knew?"

"How could I not? It was obvious to me that your reiatsu was growing different each day. I was, after all, your companion for so many, many years."

Kazane rested her head on his neck, breathing in his scent. "Yes... I would have expected that much," she murmured.

There was silence. Gusts of wind seemed to pass by, occasionally disrupting the silence in the area. Neither of them moved from their positions, the only movement being the rise of their chests and Ichiru's hand moving deftly through blond locks.

"I..."

Kazane raised herself up again.

"May not... be able to stay with humans... you all... much longer."

"Is it that bad?"

Kazane shook her head. "No... I can still handle the growing power. Venting is helping for now. But sometimes, parts of me just seem to take over. Like when I was facing the Lizard Arrancar, and today, when I accidentally let something slip... I'm... scared, Ichiru."

"Then I will be here for you," Ichiru clenched her hair.

Kazane smiled. "I feel that I'm descending into insanity. Every time I draw my zanpakto, there's this sudden flood of feelings from the part of my soul... It wasn't so bad at first. That's how I managed to train my Bankai. But a month later, it got too much. I couldn't release Fuyusuisei without getting major headaches. My personality changes. This is _me._ Yet, it isn't me. I feared that if I continued to train with Fuyusuisei, I eventually wouldn't be who I am anymore. That's why I came back. I'm a coward, ne, Ichiru?"

"No, you acted according to your best judgement. You're not a coward." Ichiru loosened his grip around her hair. He began stroking the hair again.

"Urahara suspects what's happening, but you're the first I've ever outright told."Kazane brushed her lips against his cheek. "I can't tell the one who can help me the most the truth… but you…" Ichiru hugged her. "You're the only one… I can really tell anything and everything."

"I'm honoured, Kazane…" Ichiru said, loosening his hold so that he could see her face to face.

Kazane touched his face. "Ichiru… promise me one thing."

Ichiru leant in to hear it. Kazane whispered the few words into his ear, and Ichiru closed his eyes, nodding.

"I will do everything, and anything that you ask of me." _You are my everything, and my only thing. My life is yours to use and direct._

**Hueco Mundo... Las Noches **

"Aizen-sama..."

"What is it, Halibel?" Aizen looked down at the dark skinned woman from his throne.

"I've delivered you message," Halibel managed to choke out. Her hand moved unconsciously to her ribs.

Aizen smiled. "I see. Anything else worth reporting?"

Halibel hesitated. "That girl... she... massacred the entire batch of hollow-arrancars you sent over in a matter of seconds. She fired five consecutive Ceros, and... all which none managed to dodge. Nothing survived."

Aizen's smirk got larger. "I see. Our Queen has matured to a healthy, powerful level, hasn't she?"

"Qu-queen?" The Espadas in the room spluttered and stood up in protest.

"Yes, Queen. You see, she is the same as me. What better than it is for two gods to rule the world together? Her beauty and power is worthy of her position beside me," Aizen rested his head on his palm. "Hmph, though it seems that we do have a little problem with her ex-fiancee..."

"No rich nobleman is strong enough to go against you and your wishes, Aizen-sama..." Ichimaru Gin chuckled from the side lines.

"I know. But watching them struggle is an incredibly amusing thing." Aizen smirked into his hand. "Kazane will come to my side eventually, whether she wants it or not, and I shall make her stay by my side for the rest of eternity as my partner as I rule this world. She is the only befitting woman to stay by my side, especially since she is like me."

"Aizen-sama, then what of Inoue Orihime?" Ulquiorra asked. "Wasn't the purpose of bringing her here to..."

Aizen waved a hand nonchalantly. "No, she's nothing but a human. Her power interests me, but nothing else. Once her role is served, you may do what you wish with her. "

Several smirks appeared. Aizen paid no heed as he watched the playback of Ulquiorra's memories, all the while donning a smug smile on his face.

**Urahara Shoten…**

Kazane closed the notebook with a sigh, setting down the pencil. Rubbing her temples, she let out an impatient groan and got up from the table, leaving everything there. She blew the candle out and walked out.

"Where're you going?"

Kazane turned to the blond shopkeeper.

"Out. For a while," she replied.

Urahara narrowed his eyes slightly. "At this time? It's almost midnight."

Kazane smiled. "I needed some fresh air from all the work I was doing. Don't worry. I'll be back."

Urahara watched silently as she walked out of the shop.

"Stay safe."

Kazane sighed. She fingered her white blouse and grey skirt – her uniform. Pity she had to abandon these. They were one of her favourite school uniforms after all. After walking a good distance away from the shop, she popped a Gikongan into her mouth and she came out of the body in her shinigami form. She turned to the gigai and gave it one last look.

"Kazane?" the gigai looked at her.

Kazane raised her hands up to the gigai's shoulders, and said, "Sorry. You'll have to go to sleep for a while." Without warning, she suddenly backed away and a blue Kido spell came charging up in her palms. " Hado 63! Soren Sokatsui!" The body was enveloped in bright blue flames. Seconds later, it disintegrated and fell to the pavement as grey ash. Kazane brushed the ash away onto the road with a sweep of her foot, and turned back to the road.

"No turning back now."

Her muscles tensed, and she flew off in a series of flash steps. She closed her eyes and allowed her senses to expand, until she found the distortion in the mass of spiritual energy, and quickly headed towards the direction of the distortion.

"Inoue Orihime… her powers are interesting but why… is Aizen…" Kazane said to herself. The wind combed through her hair and sent it flowing across the dark night. She shook her head, sighing, "It's no concern of mine. Inoue-san has always been... just the extra... so even if her Shun Shun Rika abilities are... something worth the attention of Aizen, he will ultimately..." She didn't complete the thoughts. Sensing the masked presence, she dropped down from the air in front of the distortion and reached out to grab what she thought was the shoulder of Inoue Orihime.

"Eh?" The form of the strawberry blond girl materialised in front of Kazane. Kazane narrowed her eyes, and turned to the third presence.

"Hiroshi Kazane..." Ulquiorra acknowledged with a slight nod.

"Bring me to see Aizen," Kazane said.

"Yes... my Queen..." He bowed slightly at the waist, and then straightened up to draw a line down the air, opening up the Garganta to Hueco Mundo.

"Kazane-san..." Orihime whispered, shaking slightly.

"This way," Ulquiorra held out an arm to Kazane, who took it and followed him into the dark portal. It only took a dark glare at Orihime to get her to follow them.

'_Why, why, why?'_

**Back in Urahara Shoten...**

He slid the doors open, taking in the dark room. Switching on the lights, he made his way to the desk where the numerous notes and one sole notebook laid. He sat down heavily, picking up the notebook with a weariness that could have come from only a jaded man.

"Kisuke, where has she gone?" Youruichi asked sharply from the door.

Urahara ignored her question, opening the notebook. The first few pages were from that of her days in the 12th Division. Pages of notes and ideas of new systems that she had devised, all carefully planned out in the worn pages. The next section was of inventions and gigais. Early models of the gigai he had produced, which had stemmed from the notes of his subordinate, were drawn out in rough and messy sketches. A bit further along the line was several ideas of Soul Devices, some with only the name and description scribbled down, but nothing else on the page. There, he saw the page on the communication device she had cooked up just before the half disastrous trip to Soul Society, page cluttered to the brim with diagrams and notes.

Sighing, Urahara flipped all the way to the back, right to the last few pages. The notes there were made with a dark blue ball point pen, obviously new, and were dated recently. Most were on the... condition she was facing, but the second last page was on something entirely different. Urahara's eyes widened as he took in the contents of the page.

"Kisuke?" Youruichi finally got irritated and walked to the blond man.

"Stay back, Youruichi," Urahara said sharply, holding an arm out to stop her from coming any closer.

"What's in the notebook?"

Urahara closed his eyes. "Something that no one other than myself must see. It's essential. So please... stay back."

Youruichi bit her lip but nodded. Urahara cast his gaze back down to the last page. It looked like a journal entry – words neatly printed on the paper.

**I won't say what I've done. By the time you realise something was amiss, I would have probably reached the place where no one can touch me anymore.**

**It's still not too late. Aizen can still be subdued. **

**As for me... We'll see if I manage to live past the Winter. If not... then my apologies.**

**I've prepared a small surprise for you all. It's up to you all whether you wish to accept it or not though.**

**Make sure you survive to see the present. I will try my best to do so too. The next time we meet, it'll likely be on the battlefield.**

**Keep the faith. Don't give up.**

**Burn this.**

Urahara lit the candle on the desk, watching the orange flame flicker. Then, he tore the last two pages out from the notebook, eliciting gasps from Youruichi, and held the tip over the flame. The flame licked at the pages, and slowly devoured the evidence till there was not a crisp left

"Was that... necessary?" Youruichi asked.

Urahara got up, turning toward her. "Yes. That information... must not fall into anyone's hands. I'm sorry, but not even you..."

"That girl..." The woman sighed. "Has gone off to do something really reckless, huh?"

Urahara nodded silently. "But... She'll be acting according to what she thinks is the best path for everyone. All we can do now is to work on the clue she left behind... and ensure that we will win the War, for sure."

Youruichi nodded.

It was all they could do.

**Hueco Munda, Las Noches…**

Inoue Orihime was terrified.

But beyond terrified, she was confused.

When she had chosen the path of self-sacrifice and agreed (not that she had a choice…) to go to Hueco Mundo, she thought that it was okay. No one would know of her betrayal – of how she so easily gave in to the enemy.

But now…

She glanced at the silent blond walking slightly in front of her, just beside Ulquiorra. The cold aura, which she had the misfortune of seeing in Seireitei during Aizen's betrayal, was back and at full blast. She gave an inward shudder. Hiroshi Kazane was not only a highly experienced shinigami, she was also previously of a noble family and was _betrothed_ to Kuchiki Byakuya – the man who had nearly killed her Ichigo. On top of that, she had also heard from the shop keeper, Urahara, that she had served shortly as a captain in Soul Society.

That woman could end her life in a flash, if she so wished, and she would be helpless to do anything against it.

The cold aura she was emitting made that possibility even more a reality.

Her thoughts came to an abrupt stop when Ulquiorra came to a halt right outside a gigantic, white double door. Kazane stopped at the same moment Ulquiorra did, leaving Orihime to stumble to a halt at the last second to avoid crashing into either of the two very frightening figures.

"Is he inside?" Kazane asked, turning to Ulquiorra. He gave a silent nod. She asked again, "Who else?"

"The Espada, my Lady," Ulquiorra replied. He looked at the door, and back at Kazane. She gave a nod, and Ulquiorra held out a hand, pushing the door open with his reiatsu.

Inoue Orihime was completely ignored in the exchange.

A large throne room greeted them. Orihime blanched at the whiteness of the room. Everything was just so… _white._ White floors, white walls, white ceiling… white clothes… She looked up, and saw the three (former?) shinigami up on the high platform, and in the middle of them all, was Aizen Sousuke.

Orihime didn't know much about Aizen, but her sole encounter of him left her with a lasting impression of him: _Don't mess with him_. She trembled slightly, drawing her eyes from the man and taking a glance at the other occupants of the room. Even though they were half shrouded by the shadows, she could still make out the signs of white (again) clothes as well as the narrows swords strapped onto them. _Arrancars. Espadas._ Ones that could possibly defeat her Ichigo just like how they did just… hours ago…

"Kazane, you have arrived," Orihime's head shot up. Aizen had stood, smiling his smile, and was gazing down at the three of them from his high-up position.

"Aizen," Kazane nodded back.

Orihime felt a chill creep up her spine. Maybe her betrayal wasn't so bad. Maybe it could still be overlooked. After all, she was here on her own will, right?

But then again, Kazane wasn't exactly still a full-fledged member of the Gotei 13. In fact, her status was equivalent to that of the weird group of 8 that were training Ichigo back in the real world.

Aizen offered a hand to her. Kazane glanced at it, and then, before Orihime knew it, she was up on the platform with Aizen. Orihime gasped softly.

Kazane slowly slid a hand into Aizen's, and she watched as the smiled on the man's face grew. Aizen turned back to the rest of the people in the room, and announced, "My loyal Espada… I present to you… our new Queen, Hirako Kazane."

All around her, the hollow-turned Arrancar dipped down into a bow. Orihime looked around, lost at what to do, before hesitantly following suit. Kazane turned her back to the Espada, instead opting to stand beside the throne. Aizen gave a low chuckle, and turned back to sit back onto his chair.

"Our Queen is to be given the best care… and you all are to treat her the way you would treat me," he said, authority soaking his words entirely. There was a collecting murmuring of agreement, and slowly, one by one, the Espadas rose from their bows.

Aizen turned to Kazane. "Anything you wish to say… my Queen?"

Kazane looked at the Espada, and then back at Aizen, and then said, in an extremely soft but cold tone, "I want nothing to do with them."

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra. She still felt out of place. She was still confused. Why was Kazane there? Why was Aizen referring to her as his 'Queen'? Was Kazane… a betrayer as well?

"Aizen-sama, Kazane-sama," Ulquiorra bowed again, and said, "I have brought Inoue Orihime, as you have requested."

Aizen leant forward in his seat, for once taking notice of the orange-haired teen. He appraised her silently, and Orihime felt the chills once again taking a hike up and down her spine. The next moment, she was on the ground, shaking and gasping as an incredible pressure overwhelmed her.

"Weak."

Braving the torrent of reiatsu, she struggled to lift her head up to look at Aizen, who was still sitting there calmly, as if oblivious to her plight. Shifting her eyes to the three around him, she saw that none of them were on their knees like she was. They were all standing there, calm and sure, and not a single strand of hair ruffled.

It was then that she realized: no one else was affected by the reiatsu at all. No one but her. Cold dread made its way back into her heart, racking her with fear. Oh gods, she was so absolutely weak. _Weak. _Just as the random Espada had commented earlier on, she was undeniably the weakest thing in this entire castle.

What for, did he then, wanted her to be brought to him then?

Inoue Orihime was smart enough to piece together the pieces. What Aizen really wanted was Kazane.

She was but a pawn.

If what she suspected was right, she was just there… to split the forces. And knowing her Ichigo, he would probably rush right in to come save her, regardless of orders from even the Soutaicho himself.

She could have possibly caused the war to shift terribly in Aizen's favour.

Oh_ god. _She did not just fall for such a simple trick, did she?

"Aizen, give her a rest," Kazane spoke. Instantly, the pressure was released, and Orihime gasped desperately to get the air back into her lungs.

Aizen touched Kazane's hand and pulled it to his mouth to give it a small peck. "Anything for you, Kazane. Grimmjow, come over!"

The blue-haired Espada, which Orihime remembered encountering a few times back, rose out of the shadows, His left sleeve dangled uselessly beside him. The disgruntled and cold facial expression was enough to scare her into backing away.

"Inoue Orihime, prove your worth," Aizen said. Orihime glanced at him, terrified. Prove her worth? Why? HOW?

Grimmjow grabbed her by her shirt with his good (only) arm, pulling her till she was right in his face, and breathed to her, "Heal my arm, lady."

Oh, so that was what he meant. She nodded, and the minute he set her down, she called upon her powers. "Soten Kisshun! I reject!" Shun'o and Ayame flew forward from her pins, and casted an orange barrier around Grimmjow's arm. Pouring her powers into the barrier, she watched as yet another wound was miraculously healed under her hands. Even if this time, it was the wounds of an enemy.

"Interesting, wouldn't you think so, Kazane?" Aizen murmured. Orihime stiffened. Aizen smirked, and that action could be heard even from his tone, "Her powers… I wonder how it manifested. Such curious, curious…"

"God defying powers," Kazane completed. Aizen nodded, looking straight at Orihime's barrier.

"Rejecting something as severe as a lost arm… an astounding power. She would be a good addition to the ranks."

Orihime was frozen stiff at Aizen's words. Not only was she brought here as a bait, but also to aid them in the war?

"She's trembling already."

She started. Was she? She looked down at her hands, and noticed that they were indeed shaking. The last of Grinnjow's healing was done and she withdrew the shield.

Grimmjow flexed his arms, feeling the muscles ripple under his skin. He grinned like a maniac, before bursting out into a full-blown laughter, "I'M BACK! THE SEXTA ESPADA IS BACK! Woman, fix this up too." He turned and showed her the burnt flesh where his tattoo originally was. Orihime obliged and called on Soten Kisshun again, healing the burnt spot quickly.

Grimmjow laughed. He laughed and laughed so much that it hurt Orihime's ears. But her legs were still frozen to the ground and she couldn't muster the courage to move.

She was dominated completely – body and soul – by even the Espada.

Her eyes slowly raised themselves to Aizen and Kazane. She almost whimpered at the sight of them situated above all others, calm and dignified. This was not what she had expected. She, at least, expected to be somewhere higher than she was right now. Perhaps she was aiming for where Kazane was standing right now.

But that was impossible right now. She felt a pang at her selfishness. It was so wrong to have agreed to come to Hueco Mundo. She should have… she should have…

There was nothing she could have done.

"Stop your self-pitying. " The cold voice rang out bit right into the core of Orihime, petrifying her even further.

"Kazane… chan…" Orihime whimpered, bringing her hands up to her face – in fear.

"Don't call her so familiarly. Know your place, woman," Ulquiorra snapped, eyeing her from the corner of his eyes. She flinched, taking a step back.

"She disgusts me. Keep her far out of sight," Kazane said to Aizen, but her voice rang loud and clear to all the occupants of the room. "I doubt even the lowest of Hollows would enjoy the pathetic sight of her."

Aizen scooped a lock of blond hair, kissing it, and said, "I understand. Ulquiorra!"

The said Espada stood at attention.

Aizen smirked, "Hide Inoue Orihime in the deepest corner of Hueco Mundo. No one is to go near her except you. Save us the trouble of dealing with her, my most loyal servant."

Ulquiorra bowed deeply at the waist. "I understand, Aizen-sama." And with that, he took her by the arms and dragged Orihime away from the throne room.

"H-hey! Wait!" Orihime struggled against the iron grip. "Kazane-chan! Kazane-chan!"

The gigantic white double doors slammed shut in her face. She wrenched herself out of Ulquiorra's grip and launched herself at the doors, pouching furiously. The doors refused to budge an inch.

"Pathetic woman. I can see now why Kazane-sama is so disgusted with you," Ulquiorra said coldly, expressionlessly. Orihime turned to look at him, anger evident in her eyes.

"Why-"

"You can't even open the doors." Ulquiorra pulled her away from the said door. "How you managed to heal the Sexta Espada is beyond my imagination. If you were thinking of some high position, think again. There's no way that Aizen-sama would keep such a bug by his side. You're nothing compared to our new queen, woman."

Bug. Woman. All these degrading terms.

Orihime broke down and cried.

She knew she shouldn't have left Seireitei.

She knew she shouldn't have trusted the two shinigami to protect her.

She knew she should have done something – anything – to avoid this.

She knew she was useless.

For the first time in her life, Inoue Orihime wished to die. And Kazane had seen to it that the Arrancar won't do the job for her.

**Whew… done. Sorry it took so long. I went to Taiwan for three weeks for an immersion program and I forgot to publish this chapter before I left. Thus… the three week delay…**

**It was quite hard to write Orihime. I have a feeling I went a bit overboard but I can't find any other way to write her out or rewrite the scene in a different perspective. Besides, it was a refreshing… change to write in a different character's perspective.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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